RWBY - Team MVRK
by TheRadioShower
Summary: Isaac Maverick, appointed leader of Team MVRK, deals with issues such as bullies like Cardin Winchester severely bullying his teammate and crush, Velvet Scarlatina. On his free time Isaac dwells into the disappearance of his only family, his adopted "Uncle" Michael, a Faunus. Isaac begins to make enemies. One of Isaac's enemies decides Isaac deserves to die. (Reviews appreciated)
1. Assembling The Team

**[Prologue]**

The White Fang armor outfit wasn't comfortable. There were holes in places where tails and ears were supposed to hide into, convenient for a Faunus but painful for a Human. Uncle and I were waiting on a hill, our weapons in hand. We were in a circular plain surrounded by dark green forest. Flowers and grass were dying around us because of the coming of autumn. Behind us was a large lake that reached the end of the plain and turned into a river once it touched the forest.

"Isaac?" My uncle asked.

"Yes Uncle?" I replied.

"Use what you learned. I sent you to be trained for a reason. Remember your weapon, remember your _aura_. This is nothing; it's like fighting monsters."

I dropped my weapon and glared at Uncle. "Are you comparing your own kind to monsters?"

Uncle tilted his head towards me. "No. Look, we're not killing. These suits aren't meant to protect a Faunus from the elements in a crashing airship. We take the birds down, they get banged up during the fall, and then we grab the dust while they're all _night-night_. This will get us all the money we'll need to buy an airship of our own and move to Vale."

I nodded. "At least this will officially get you out of the White Fang."

"I hope it will."

I turned to Uncle again. "What do you mean?"

...

* * *

**[Chapter 01 - Assembling The Team]**

On the stage, with an entire auditorium of students staring, the professor's words simply didn't reach my ears. Professor Ozpin spoke, but I wasn't able to listen. "…Maverick, Velvet…Rachel…Kanon Strangeworth, you all retrieved the black queen pieces. From now on, you will work together as Team MVRK." I smiled. My team name was pronounced just like my last name, which only meant one thing, but I let Professor Ozpin finish before I jumped to the obvious conclusion. "You will be led by Isaac Maverick."

I released the smile I had been hiding inside me. I turned to my teammates, Velvet Scarlatina, Rachel Hollows, and Kanon Strangeworth. Each of them smiled back with as much content and happiness that I had.

When we had realized the teams of two who collected the same chess pieces from the Emerald Forest would be paired up into full teams of four, we found each other. We concluded that I was the most fit to lead.

After we fought off families of Beowolves and Ursas, Velvet and I had made it to the abandoned temple in the forest that Ozpin had told us to find, where several white and black chess pieces had been waiting upon separate pedestals for us. There had been two kings, two queens, two knights, two rooks, and two bishops of each color. There hadn't been many pieces left, only some kings and queens. I would have chosen the black king piece if Velvet hadn't come out of her mute state just to insist on taking the remaining black queen piece.

Never knew the Faunus could be such feminists. Hey, I owed it to her, because I almost shot her when we first met in the forest; her bunny ears had made her look like a delicious lunch, which I had skipped that day, from far away. I was glad a Beowolf attacked her before I had, because I had been hungrier than him, and I had a high-tech weapon, unlike him who only had his claws. I remember earlier that day; I had skipped lunch so I could learn about all the creatures of Grimm I would have most likely been facing in the forest. I had found their weak spots, their strengths, and I had given myself an idea of their general behavior. I wasn't a great fighter, but I knew where to fight and how to fight there. In the case of that Beowolf, all I had to do was stab my fire sword down his foolishly unprotected neck, and just like that, he was gone.

I was back on the stage, back into the present. My group members were beginning to walk off the stage to let the next team assemble. I had snapped out of the past just in time to walk with them and avoid the embarrassment of being left alone onstage. I watched the rest of the ceremony, Team CRDL, Team JNPR, and Team RWBY going after my team.

This was going to be an interesting year.


	2. Telling A Story

**[Chapter 02 - Telling A Story]**

I inhaled and gathered a million thoughts at once.

"My weapon, Maelstrom, is beautiful. I forged it myself, with the help of my uncle of course. He's a Faunus. Yeah, I know. Being adopted by a Faunus doesn't really go well in a society that still hates Faunus. But imagine how much discrimination he got, raising a Human like it was his own. All it says is how little my parents loved me; they gave me away to a _Faunus_, a being they believed to be nothing but an animal. Uncle Michael was alright, I guess. Raised me well. He used to replace, and sometimes even recreate, high-tech weapons that were lost or missing or even stolen, for a reasonable price, to the people who couldn't afford a new one or didn't have the skill to forge a new one, or who were just plain lazy. Most of the time it was the latter.

"I would sit there, as a kid, and just watch Uncle as he absorbed all the information some weeping kids gave him about their 'stolen baby' or their 'misplaced high-impact sniper sword' or whatever. I watched as he turned those kids' cries into bearable smiles. He did that, along with his labor job for the Schnee Dust Company, until he had enough money to send me off to combat school. I learned how to fight there, and during graduation, my uncle gave me this present; Maelstrom.

"A couple months before graduation my uncle finally let me do something besides watch him forge; he gave me a project. He told me 'this boy doesn't know what he wants, and loves his old weapon too much to use a recreation. He says he wants to be surprised. Do you mind handling this for me?' Of course I told him it was no problem.

"My first project, and I didn't have any orders. I was able to do whatever I wanted. I made a longsword. The two sides of the cross-guard are individual ammunition containers, one holding assault rifle rounds and the other holding flamethrower fuel. The blade, having a fuller and a central ridge, can separate into two to allow a gun barrel to appear from the hilt. The gun barrel fits perfectly in the little space between the two blades. This barrel can fire assault rifle rounds, but also has tiny holes that allows for concentrated flames to be vomited by the sword.

"I create this, then my uncle gave it to me as a graduation present, only he made adjustments. He told me it could now transform into an assault rifle, a flamethrower, or both at the same time. I didn't believe him. I nearly pissed my pants when I first transformed Maelstrom. Well, at least I hope I didn't. If I transform Maelstrom into a gun when it is unsheathed, then it becomes a short assault rifle with iron sights and a flamethrower attachment. If I transform the longsword in the scabbard, then Maelstrom turns into a _battle rifle_, complete with a longer barrel, a high-end scope, a stock, a strap, and the ability to turn into a flamethrower. It can't shoot fully automatic in battle rifle form, though, and if I transform it back to a longsword I would need to take it out of its sheathe, not a good thing in situations where I need my sword quickly." I told my team the first night we spent together. We had went around, saying where we came from and how we created our weapons, aside from Velvet who still refused to leave her mute state. My turn had come up, and my team remained silent until I finished. Throughout the story I had held up my weapon and pointed at each part I was talking about. Now, I just placed it back into its scabbard. "I guess that's all. My weapon is really the only exciting thing about me."

"It's alright." Kanon, from across the room, said. "I just…your uncle…your _guardian_ is a Faunus?"

"Is there a problem with that?" Rachel said as she lightly gestured to Velvet, trying to notify Kanon there was a Faunus in the very room he was in.

"Yes, there is Rachel. Faunus are filthy animals who know how to do nothing but be criminals." Kanon turned to Velvet, although she was facing her crossed legs, and not him. "Or try to be hunters and huntresses and end up failing and going back to crime."

"Hey, cut it out!" Rachel stood up and pushed Kanon out of the room and began a heated conversation with him outside the door. Rachel closed the door shut once Kanon began cursing and talking about Velvet like she couldn't hear him.

I sat next to the lonely Velvet Scarlatina, who still wouldn't look away from her lap. "You alright?"

One of Velvet's bunny ears twitched. "Yes."

"Do you want me to do anything about Kanon? I hate Faunus-haters just as much as any other Faunus. I mean, I'm not a Faunus, but…I really feel like I am." Velvet remained silent. She didn't return eye contact, she didn't respond, she just abandoned me. I may have been right in front of her, but she found a way to banish me to an island very, _very_ far away from her. She didn't want anyone near her. "Alright. Kanon has one strike. He gets another strike, and he's out of the team. Ozpin already told me I could do that, all because of you." Velvet still imprisoned me on the island far, far away from her. She was back on the mainland, just looking at her knees. I stood up, slightly angered. "You can't ignore the world forever. I also have the ability of kicking _you_ off the team if you aren't a good enough teammate. I don't think you'll do well in another team, a team with less caring members. Rachel and I, we will fight for you. We don't care if Kanon grows to hate us in the process. But you need to treat others like you want to be treated as well."

Velvet looked up and met my eyes with her own. They were dreamy and chocolaty, two things that made me want to fall asleep, but in a good way of course. I felt warm and delicate. I wanted to be embraced. "Treat others like you want to be treated? Why do you think I'm ignoring you?"

_Shit,_ I thought, _what do I say now?_

Nothing.

One day, I feared that I would have to remove either Kanon or Velvet from the team.


	3. Making A Friend

**[Chapter 03 - Making A Friend]**

Unlike most other teams, Team MVRK didn't sit together during our first lunch with each other. We were all in the same room, eating lunch at the same time, but we remained separated. Velvet sat alone, a few bullies occasionally coming to visit and tease her. They weren't threatening, physical, or too cruel, and she had made it clear she wanted to be ignored, so I didn't do anything about them. Kanon was eating with another group, Team CRDL. He was telling them how my uncle was 'one of the freaks'. They glanced at me questionably and believed I hadn't noticed. Rachel floated around, usually sitting with groups of guys who invited her to sit with them.

Rachel was gorgeous, but she wasn't my type, so I wasn't jealous of the boys she finally settled down with.

Rachel's type was a stubborn, weak girl. She either had best friends, or worst enemies, and nothing in between. People fought over her all the time. Most people, boys in particular, only wanted to be around her because of her looks. There was nothing behind her army of admirers or under her beauty. If I had been required to have a crush on someone, it definitely wouldn't have been on her. I liked quiet types, like Velvet. Velvet was cute, although she would have slapped me if she heard me saying that. Her bunny ears were adorable and I liked the peaceful brown color of her hair, eyes, and bunny ears.

I realized I was developing a crush on Velvet.

Velvet talked. I heard her, but she only talked out of necessity. If someone was teasing her she asked him to stop. If she needed something she couldn't get, she asked. If a professor called on her to answer a question, she would answer at the bottom of her voice so the rest of the class wouldn't hear her. I wondered if it was by choice that Velvet remained secluded, or if the bullies and discriminators she encountered throughout her life were the ones who made her mute.

Most other teams stayed together throughout the day. My team was the great exception. We would wake up, ignore each other, than go our separate ways. We shared very few classes with each other, unlike some other teams like RWBY and CRDL, who sometimes had their entire team in one class. That must have been nice, always having a group to work with. What happened with my group's schedule? Did they purposely want my group to be the most difficult to lead?

"Hey." A girl said. I saw her placing her food-filled tray down across from me at the corner of my vision. She brought her legs over the table's bench so she could sit. Still starring at my food, I saw her boobs jiggle when she dropped down to her seat. I felt guilty for noticing something so dirty.

I rolled my eyes up to look at the girl. She was a blondie, something I didn't like, but besides that she was a pretty attractive girl. Her boobs were a bit big, but I didn't mind, because I barely looked at them. Okay, I wanted to tell myself that, but they were like beacons. It was impossible not to peak at them. She didn't notice me staring at all. Maybe she didn't care. Having boobs like those probably got her many stares from many men over her entire teenage life. I wondered if she'd grown a tolerance to it.

I shook my head violently to throw away all my perverted thoughts.

"You alright?" She asked with a curiously concerned face.

"No, I…" I looked straight into her eyes. I didn't smile or show a bit of happiness or immaturity. I wanted to be as genuine as possible. "I feel guilty. I've kind of been…" My speech filter told me confessing what I had been doing to the girl wasn't a smart idea. "Forget about it. I'm just tired from initiation."

"That makes two of us." The girl used her fork to play around with her scrambled eggs.

"Is there a reason you're sitting with me?"

"Not really, but you looked lonely. I'm Yang by the way. Yang Xiao Long."

"Yeah." I drank my juice. "I'm Isaac. Isaac Maverick." I placed my juice on my tray. "But we both were at the initiation ceremony, so we both know each other's names."

"Yeah. And I know you're leader of Team MVRK, but…" Yang looked over my shoulder to glance at Velvet. By the disgusted look on Yang's face, I could tell she was still being teased. "…you're not doing much leading."

"Try leading a group who has no classes together, who refuse to practice together, and who hate each other."

"Come on. It's the first day. It can't be that bad."

I chuckled sarcastically. "Kanon Strangeworth hates Faunus. Like, every Faunus. I told him my Uncle, my legal guardian, was a Faunus and he was like 'your Uncle is a dirty animal who knows nothing but crime', but he directed his words to Velvet because he wanted to attack the Faunus, not the Human, in the room. He's too afraid to disrespect another Human. If I was a Faunus he would have told me what he thought of my Uncle straight to my face and not subliminally. I dislike him because of that statement. Rachel Hollows doesn't like him because she knew Velvet since elementary. Velvet doesn't like anyone, apparently. I tried to comfort her, me, a person she has no problems with, and she pushed me away like I was the one who insulted her."

"You talk a lot." Yang rested her head on her hand. "Like I said, it's the first day."

"I talk a lot?" I smiled and nodded my head with hostility. "I see how it is."

"Relax, bro. I didn't mean anything by it. My sis talks a lot just like you." Yang smiled, her head still tilted. "I personally think motor-mouths make for the best leaders."

"That's classic."

"Hey, it's true. People who talk a lot aren't shy so they can talk to all their team mates, with superiors, everything."

"I agree with you on that, but most people who talk a lot don't like accepting other people's opinions because they have too many of thier own."

"That's not true."

"Well, it is for me."

Yang paused. "We made bunk beds."

"What?"

"My sis made us make bunk beds this morning. It was fun. Well, Weiss wasn't into it, but I was."

I chuckled, this time without sarcasm. "Yeah, I heard you guys. We're right next to you. Well, I don't know if I'm even allowed to say 'we' when referring to my team because we…it isn't much of a team."

Yang smiled again. "If you heard us that means you were late to class as well." Yang giggled. "Did you see us running down the hallway for our lives?

"Yeah, actually, I did." I remembered the morning. I had overslept, and none of my team mates cared to wake me up. Kanon and Rachel were gone. Velvet was sitting on her bed, writing a letter to her parents. She didn't know where to go to mail it so she trusted me with her letter. It was in my pocket ever since. "I just remembered something."

"What is it?"

I stood. "I need to mail a letter for Velvet."

"Aw, so cute!" Yang grinned. "You two would make a cute couple."

I stared at Yang. "I came here to become properly recognized as a legal monster hunter, instead of a rogue vigilante, not to get into a relationship that will probably end in shambles."

"Aw, you can't be that way, especially to a girl like Velvet. If she gave you her letter it means she trusts you, even though she just met you. You mean a lot to her."

"It doesn't matter. Do you know how many enemies I would make if I dated a Faunus? There's a lot of Faunus-haters in this school."

"And there's a lot of Faunus as well who would appreciate you dating one of their own and bringing this school one step closer to equality."

"We'd both be shunned, because there are a lot of Faunus out there who despise Humans. Why do you think the White Fang has become what is is?"

"It doesn't matter. We're not talking about everyone else. Velvet gave you that letter because she trusts you."

"Or maybe she gave me the letter because I was the only one in the room when she finished writing it. Actually, maybe I should throw this letter away just so she doesn't trust me anymore."

"Don't be mean, especially to a girl, and especially especially to a Faunus."

I nodded and packed up. "Alright. I guess I'll see you later."

"You gonna eat that?" Yang asked with a big smile, a finger pointed at my half-filled tray. I pushed it towards her. "Yay! Thanks."


	4. Reliving The Past

**[Chapter 04 - Reliving The Past]**

The White Fang armor outfit wasn't comfortable. There were holes in places where tails and ears were supposed to hide into, convenient for a Faunus but painful for a Human. Uncle and I were waiting on a hill, our weapons in hand. We were in a circular plain surrounded by dark green forest. Flowers and grass were dying around us because of the coming of autumn. Behind us was a large lake that reached the end of the plain and turned into a river once it touched the forest.

"Isaac?" My uncle asked.

"Yes Uncle?" I replied.

"Use what you learned. I sent you to be trained for a reason. Remember your weapon, remember your _aura_. This is nothing; it's like fighting monsters."

I dropped my weapon and glared at Uncle. "Are you comparing your own kind to monsters?"

Uncle tilted his head towards me. "No. Look, we're not killing. These suits aren't meant to protect a Faunus from the elements in a crashing airship. We take the birds down, they get banged up during the fall, and then we grab the dust while they're all _night-night_. This will get us all the money we'll need to buy an airship of our own and move to Vale."

I nodded. "At least this will officially get you out of the White Fang."

"Hopefully, it will."

I turned to Uncle again. "What do you mean?"

Uncle remained silent. Two shiny, silver airships appeared from behind a mountain. The roar of their engines reached us, even from miles away, and made the animals around us squirm into their hiding holes. New pollution entered the perfectly peaceful forest, the airships' engines being the source. "Skeleton crews; four per ship, two pilots, one soldier, one mechanic."

"Are you sure there's that little crew members on each ship?"

"Why would I lie?" Uncle continued to not meet my eyes. He raised a flare and fired it into the mostly clear blue sky. When the flare exploded, it erupted into the White Fang symbol; a beaten, cut, angered feline head on top of three diagonal claw marks. It captured the attention of the crews in the two airships. "These aren't Bullhead VTOLs. They are cargo drones. They are meant to carry nothing but cargo. The pilots in there aren't even doing anything. They want to be safe so they put a few people in the ships to guard the cargo."

"I know." I scowled at my uncle under my mask. "_I know_." My uncle was obviously nervous. When he was nervous he repeated himself, or recited a plan he created or the research he gathered before making the plan. He was obviously nervous. I turned back to the ships. "It looks like they're changing direction…but they aren't lowering their altitude."

"Our weapons."

"What?"

"They see our weapons. These aren't standard White Fang issue. They are custom. The crews have suspicion. Plan B."

"Plan B?"

"Plan B."

I readied myself. We both entered strong, heavy stances in our places. The airships flew nearer to us. They remained at the same altitude they had after they broke away from the mountain. Once they were close enough to see us with their own eyesight, the pilots began to turn the ships away. Uncle pressed the button on the detonator in his hand and activated the launchers beneath our feet. We were flung into the air; the square pieces of metal that had been beneath our feet, covered in fake grass, had been popped out of the ground by machines I didn't know. They put Uncle and me in a perfect arch onto the two airships. I had landed on the left airship, Uncle had landed on the right one.

The wind and the engines killed all other noise on top of the airship. My adhesive boots activated, keeping me in place. I unhooked two sticky bombs from my belt and stuck one on the antennae in front of me and the other on the roof of the cockpit under me. If we weren't intelligent we would have attacked the engines, as they were easier targets. But we were intelligent, and we knew if we destroyed the engines the airships would explode, destroying the cargo and more importantly killing the ships' crews. Surviving a crash was possible. Surviving an explosion in a metal death trap was not.

I detonated the explosive on the antennae first. The ship lost connection with the base that was piloting it. The airship began to point down. To my relief, the two pilots in the cockpit immediately took control of the airship before it became unleveled. If they were smart they would have let the plane stall so the force of gravity would have pulled me off.

I looked over to Uncle. He was in the same position as me. He gave me a thumbs up and we both detonated the bombs beneath our feet. The bomb didn't explode; it fizzled and splashed red and black liquid across the silver metal. My aura protected my adhesive boots from the disintegrating sludge. The liquid ate at the metal beneath my feet, gobbling it up, lowering me into the cockpit. Once the metal beneath my feet was thin enough I hit it with my gun. It shattered.

I twisted myself around. Two Faunus wearing the same armor as me were frantically stabbing buttons across the cockpit. When they heard me fall they swiftly assigned a single pilot among them. The other Faunus stood up from his chair and unsheathed his sword. I shot the sword out of his hand, a lucky one-in-a-million shot, and it propelled into the flight controls. The Faunus that was left to pilot the ship panicked and ran out the room. The other stayed and fought, until I knocked him out with the butt of my assault rifle. The ship was going down again, but not quick enough for the aircraft to be impossible to be saved. To make sure no one could pull the ship up after I left I activated the flamethrower attached to my rifle and spat flames everywhere. Once I was satisfied with how many instruments were beeping from malfunctions and popping out of their panels from the heat of the flames, I jumped out.

My parachute activated once it sensed the motion of steep falling. The aircraft, in a nosedive, engines howling, whistled into the lake. The momentum from the crash allowed it to skid across the bottom of the lake and onto dry land. I laughed until I landed on the shore. "Uncle, did you see that?" I looked around. I knew for a fact that my uncle would have downed his airship before me, and that it most likely crash-landed inside the lake from the earlier descent, but I was naïve. Nothing was around me besides my downed airship, the forest, and the lake. There was no other airship, there was no Uncle. I was the only one here. "Uncle?" I asked. "Uncle!"

There wasn't even an aircraft in the sky or in the clear lake. There was nothing. It was just me. Nothing but me.

It couldn't be. My Uncle was alive, I was sure of it. I didn't see him die. I didn't see his aircraft explode. For all I knew he was on the other side of the tree line, waiting for me with bags filled with dust. I didn't hear his plane crash, but maybe that's because the loud engines and wind numbed my hearing. There were many explanations to why Uncle wasn't there. I just needed to pick one. There was no proof that he was dead. Yes. Yes there was. No. No…there…wasn't! There wasn't a single shred of evidence that Uncle was dead! He was alive! I was sure about it.

This was all my fault! If I hadn't existed, if I had run away when I was younger, Uncle wouldn't have gone through all this just to provide money for me. He wouldn't have gone out of his way just to send me to combat school and move to Vale with me so he could be close while I attended Beacon Academy. None of this would have happened. None of it! He would have still been alive, and I would have been starving or dead under a bridge like I was supposed to be. This was all my fault!

Moaning came from the downed bird behind me. Tears began to flood the mask that hid my crying face. I didn't take it off. The cries and shouts became louder. It began to pierce my ears and make them ring and buzz. I couldn't stand it anymore. I turned my assault rifle into Maelstrom, turned around, and went to silence a crying baby behind me. It was me, in a cradle at the center of a dark, wooden room. It continued to cry despite how much I yelled at it to stop. "Shut up!" _I_ continued to cry despite how much _I_ yelled at _myself_. I became louder and louder and louder. I irritated, annoyed, devastated myself. I couldn't take it any longer. I gripped Maelstrom's handle with both hands, just like I was taught to use a longsword, raised it behind my back, then swung downwards at the crying baby in my cradle.


	5. Confessing My Evil

**[Chapter 05 - Confessing My Evil]**

My body jolted upwards into a sitting position. It was like I had been electrocuted. I had woken up panting and sweating. I used my arms to hold my torso up. The room I was now in was dark, like the room I had just came from. Moonlight glimmered through the uncovered window and onto the room's door. I was back in my dorm, back at Beacon Academy, Kingdom of Vale, Continent of Vytal, World of Remnant. I climbed out of my bed and got dressed. Maelstrom remained in the chest under my bed, lonely, when I left. Bringing a sword with me, especially one with a one-hundred-and-twenty centimeter blade, would mean suicide; it was the middle of the night, all the witnesses were asleep, and I had just woken up from a depressing nightmare. This would have been the perfect opportunity.

Before I left I took a glance at Velvet. She was lying on her side, grabbing at her sheets, her face continuously switching between calm, angry, and ready to cry. Each time her face changed expressions her ears twitched back and forth. She tossed and turned, not even looking like she could breathe correctly.

Velvet opened her eyes and panted. She hadn't jerked upwards like I had. She just remained on her side, eyes wide open, her face distressed. Velvet's diaphragm retracted and expanded frantically. She looked like a swaying ship. Her eyes rolled to me. Once she noticed I wasn't part of her nightmare she closed her exhaling mouth and turned over so I couldn't see her.

Tears dropped from my eyes. I was glad Velvet turned away before I began to cry. I left, gently opening and shutting the dorm's door. The library was my escape. It was dark and gloomy, just like the rest of the school, but the librarian had kept some lamps on for the late-night readers. The light softly illuminated the pairs of chairs and tables scattered across the large, multi-story room, along with the bookshelves that towered over me like skyscrapers. I sat down on a comfortable, luxurious, cozy padded chair. The chair was perfect for falling asleep on.

Blake Belladonna captured my attention. She was sitting at a table, a lamp beside her, reading a book I didn't care for. I squinted my eyes to try to read the title. She saw me and scowled, laying her book flat on the table. I smiled. She didn't smile back. "I see how it is." I said softly to myself. I leaned my head back and rested. The ceiling of the library was so dark that the bookshelves were infinite; they didn't have tops, and if they did then they were too dark to see.

Half-an-hour later, Velvet found me. She ran to me once she saw me sitting in my comfortable chair. I was forced to open my arms and embrace her. She was still crying. Why was Velvet still crying? Why did she hunt me down? We had only known each other for two weeks, and had only spent a few hours together overall. We would only spend time together when the school held an event where we had to assemble _as a team _or sent us on a fieldtrip _as a team_. When it was our choice to be with each other, we decided not to.

We didn't spend any of our own free time together, yet I was the chest she decided to cry on. Why?

"I-" Velvet choked. She covered her eyes with her bunny ears. Velvet turned so her side was lying against my body. "I-I-I couldn't sleep. I'm so-so sorry that-that-"

"-shush." I interrupted. "You don't have to worry." I grabbed Velvet tight and pulled her close. She did the same. God, what was I thinking, touching a girl I barely knew like that? It wasn't inappropriate, but it was too personal. I was holding her so close. Too close. We weren't a couple, we weren't friends, yet we were cuddling each other intimately in a public place. "How about this; I tell you my nightmare, and you tell me yours."

Velvet stayed silent for a few minutes. At first I thought she was ignoring me, but that wasn't the case. "Okay."

"We were poor, Uncle and I. We only had enough money for food. I never played with toys, wrote any stories, painted any paintings, or did anything like that when I was a kid because we couldn't afford it. School, chores, and sleep were the only toys I was allowed to play with. They were my only hobbies, my only pastimes. It's probably why I was so passionate about forgery and monster fighting; they were the only things I could do besides the usual, boring stuff. After I finished combat school I applied to Beacon academy, and I was accepted. Only problem was I lived in a different kingdom."

I spoke low so Blake, still reading her book several meters away, wouldn't hear me. "Uncle had to take all of his things, which was surprisingly a lot of things, but we needed money to move them. We needed an airship because no one was willing to take us, most likely because Uncle had a bad reputation. He barely got any money from making weapons or his normal job. Something I didn't know until a few weeks ago was that he could only make a profit from selling weapons by not buying the dust used in them. Yeah, my Uncle stole dust and didn't tell me about it for my entire life. He first bought it, lost money, and then realized he needed to steal it. He first stole it from his workplace, but was caught and fired, _five years ago_. Five years! I was twelve when he lost his job. I thought he was working this entire time, but do you know what he was really doing?"

Velvet lightly shook her head silently. Her head rubbed against my chest.

"He returned to the White Fang. Yeah. There, he got a cut of the dust he stole. He didn't participate in any murdering or stuff like that, just dust robbery. It also worked out because in the last five years the White Fang have been stealing dust more and more frequently. But…Uncle was ordered to stay within the kingdom. Can you believe that when I thought he was going to work for the SDC, he was actually going out and stealing shipments of dust with a terrorist group?"

Velvet shook her head again. Her eyes were still covered.

"Uncle insisted in coming with me to Vale. He needed to get out of the White Fang and get the money to buy an airship and move to Vale with me. He made a plan that took care of both. The White Fang was going to transport a large shipment of dust by air, but in order to keep off of police radar they needed to fly low. Using personal flingers to get onto the ships was easy. We downed the birds…well…this is where it got complicated. There were two ships, two of us, but after I downed my bird, and landed safely onto ground, the ship I was assigned to take out and I were the only things left. My Uncle was…gone. He…" I cried. My tears fell onto Velvet's head. "I'm sorry. I just…I haven't seen him since then. But that's not the worst part."

Velvet shuffled around and finally put her back against me. She grabbed my arms and wrapped them around herself.

"There were four Faunus in the ship I downed. They each survived the crash, but barely. I…I-I…" I lowered my voice. "I killed them."

Velvet's grip around my arms loosened. Her body sank away from me. She began to shake. Velvet was ready to escape if I decided to lose my mind and attempt to strangle her.

"I was angry. Very, _very _ang-gry. I decapitated two, set one on fire, and drowned the last one in the lake. I held him down, watched him gag and gulp under me, and I just…I didn't stop. They were all wounded. I had to drag the one I drowned out from the ship because he literally couldn't walk. I killed, no, I murdered them all in cold blood. Yet, I don't care. They weren't even the ones who took Uncle away, yet I killed them all. Four Faunus. Four people. Four people, slowly and painfully."

Velvet regained her faith in me. She sat up again and turned around to hug me. "I forgive you."

"Forgive me?"

"Finish your story so I can say mine."

I stared at the girl holding me. She was shaking, crying, devastated. She knew I was a killer and was afraid but she didn't try to run. She didn't call me insane or accuse me of being a psycho. Why? "This happened a few weeks before the school year started. Uncle instructed me to burn our house down if something went wrong so I couldn't be tracked. I got what was important and returned to the forest to collect all the dust from the crashed bird, which took a week, and stored it in a container my Uncle had left near the city. The White Fang were either too busy or too afraid to return and retake their cargo. All the locals thought Uncle and I died in the fire. I'm a dead man in my home kingdom."

Blake was gone. She disappeared between the time I started confessing my murders to Velvet and now. Had she heard me? Most likely not. She had been too far away. Blake probably just wanted to give Velvet and I privacy. "Uncle had organized for a buyer to pick the container up a week before school started. For obvious reasons, I only got half of the offered payment. It was still a lot. I'm rich, rich enough to buy _two_ airships, but Uncle is gone. What good is money when the only family I have is gone?"

Velvet uncovered her eyes and looked up at me. "I'm so sorry. I promise I won't tell."

I nodded. "You know what I'm most guilty of? I smiled during the initiation ceremony. I smiled because I was happy to have a meaningful role at this school, something that was worth my loss. For a few seconds…I forgot about Uncle entirely. I promised myself I wouldn't smile until I knew my family was okay, but I still smiled anyways. There's some things that can't be controlled, hidden, or trapped in a bottle, such as happiness. You bury any emotion for too long, good or bad, and one day you'll explode. That's what happened to me tonight; I erupted."

Velvet closed her eyes, climbed up my body, and put her head on my shoulder. "Can I tell you my nightmare now?"

"Ye-yeah, sure, go ahead."

"I had a nightmare…where I couldn't find you."


	6. Crossing Black Cats

**[Chapter 06 - Crossing Black Cats]**

Blake Belladonna was waiting outside our dorm when Velvet and I walked back together. She was leaning against the wall, one leg bent, reading a book with no title. Velvet went into our dorm without a saying a word. She probably didn't want to be around Blake, or presumed Blake wanted to speak with someone alone just by her calm and patient demeanor. That person obviously wasn't Velvet.

"You two together now?" Blake asked.

"No, why?" I replied.

"Just curious." Blake dropped her leg off the wall, closed her book, and turned her body to me. "Most Humans aren't this nice to Faunus. I've never seen anything like what you did for Velvet before."

"Can we not talk about her behind her back?"

"Of course." Blake put her book in a black satchel strapped to her hip. "I heard your confessions."

_Oh Shit._

"What?" I tried to remain calm. I didn't want to give Blake a reaction. She couldn't, wouldn't find out the truth. How had she heard me? "My confessions to what?"

Blake closed her eyes and concentrated. "…_I decapitated two, set one on fire, and drowned the last one in the lake_."

I scanned the hallway, both in front and behind us, to make sure we were alone. Once I was certain there was no one there to eavesdrop on us I aggressively stepped towards Blake and pointed my finger at the floor. "Now listen _here_, you are not going to tell _anybody_ about this. I don't know how you heard me, and honestly I don't care, because if you expose me you won't just be killing me...you'll be killing yourself."

Blake rolled her eyes, her neutral mouth dropping into a frown. "If I wanted to spill your little secret, you wouldn't have been the first person I came to."

"But this secret is _far_ from little." I pointed at the dorm's door and leaned even closer to Blake. "I'm still not even sure if _Velvet_ can keep my secret. I don't need one more person to worry about. Faunus are more trustworthy then Humans. Guess how I think of you right now."

Blake shook her head, disappointed. She closed her eyes, looked down to her side, and stayed still. Her black bow wiggled very slightly, but enough to be noticed. There was no wind in the hallway; it was impossible for her bow to move, unless…

"You're-"

"-one of the trustworthy ones? Yes, I am." Blake opened her eyes and looked to me. That's how she heard me; her Faunus ears allowed her to hear three times better than a normal Human. "I want to help you."

"Why are you hiding?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"Believe me, if you've done the things I've done, you would be disguising yourself as a _Faunus_."

"Disguising yourself as a Human doesn't do anything. People still see your face. Anyone with a death-wish on you can still recognize you."

"Look at Velvet. Look at her, and tell me disguising as a Human isn't beneficial."

I turned to my dorm's door, then back to Blake. "Ok. I see your point."

"We aren't going to talk about this anymore. We just traded secrets, I _'thought' _I overheard yours, and you _'suspected'_ mine, got it?"

"No, you _didn't_ hear mine."

"Then you _hadn't_ suspected mine either."

I put my fingers through my hair and pulled lightly. The situation was giving me too much stress. "So you said you wanted to help. How?"

"Being what I am, I was…_influenced_ to join some now-mislead causes." _The White Fang._ "I think _you_ can understand that."

Blake Belladonna wasn't only a Faunus, disguising as a Human, but she was a Faunus who was formerly in the _White Fang_. The fucking _White Fang!_ "Yeah. Who wasn't once a part of them, huh?"

Blake narrowed her eyes. "There's a night club in the city, the owner has ties to many criminal groups. If anyone could help you find your uncle, it would be him."

"Why would a criminal help me?"

"He's obviously not going to give you the information willingly. His name's Junior. A former friend of mine knew him."

"Is he dangerous?"

Blake's eyes darted to somewhere behind me. I looked back, but there was nothing there. What was she looking at? Blake continued to stare behind me blankly. "Take it like this, if a girl was to someday go missing, Junior would most likely be responsible for it."

_What about an Uncle?_

"Alright. I'll talk to him, but I doubt he has connections to the Whi…to Them."

Blake's eyes focused on mine. "They have become criminals. He works with criminals. Besides, one of _Them_ used to be his best friend, and mine too." Blake looked down. A distressed face broke through her mask of calmness.

"What if he's just an innocent club owner who's trying to make by in his life, who just so happened to have a friend that made all these rumors about him and told them to you?"

"An innocent club owner wouldn't need highly trained guards and heavily armed henchmen."

"Good point. Alright, I'll see." I turned away and put my hand on my dorm's doorknob.

"Isaac-"

"You actually know my name. I'm surprised."

"Take someone you trust, but not someone you care for. Junior has a history of…he has a bad history."

"Got it. Goodnight."


	7. Meeting Baby Bear

**[Chapter 07 - Meeting Baby Bear]**

"I just don't understand why you made me drive all the way out here. This is the fucking edge of the residential district, you know."

"And that makes it the perfect place to set up an organized crime headquarters." I slammed Kanon's car's passenger door shut.

"Hey, careful with the car!" Kanon scowled. "You think just because we're out of the school you can treat me like complete dirt."

I turned to the building in front of us. It was triangular, on the edge of a block, and covered with windows. The night club must have been on the lower levels, or under the building, because there weren't any large signs advertising the club. Maybe they were aiming to remain hidden. "Out here, Kanon, we're on equal ground. You could beat me up right now and the school wouldn't care."

"Don't tempt me." Kanon looked around and observed the area. "This place looks terrible! I can't believe this is still considered the residential district. It looks like the fucking industrial district."

"Unless you want me to punch your teeth out, you will stop cursing around me."

"What are you talking about? You curse under your breath all the time, and you don't even know it. You're a fucking hypocrite." Kanon spat. I made a fist, turned to Kanon, and threw an uppercut up into his jaw. He fell to the floor, holding his bruised chin. "That _fucking_ hurt!" Kanon exclaimed. I kicked him, even though he was down, in the chest. "What the-" Kanon began, but I held up a fist to psyche him into complying. "Alright, alright, alright. Don't hit me again, you homo."

I exhaled. I wasn't sure how I felt about Kanon using that as an alternative to cursing. Feeling pity, I held my hand out to my downed team mate, but he slapped it away and got up on his own. "You ready?"

"_No_. I look ugly."

"You don't. I made sure not to mess up your face. It's not like we'll be hitting on any girls tonight anyways."

"Man, talk for yourself. I'll be reeling in fishes like a motherfu-" Kanon, intelligently, stopped himself. He finished his sentence in a low, defeated voice. "-like a fisherman."

"Alright, let's go."

Kanon and I began walking towards the building.

"Bro, why are we leaving the weapons in the car? This is a bad man we're going to meet." Kanon complained.

"This place has had _incidents_ in the past. Because of those _incidents_ this place is filled with fully armed henchmen. We both have edged weapons, which are good for killing, but not for crowd control. Bringing them into a fight where we are trying to knock everyone out isn't a good idea."

"Doesn't matter. They got on our case and we _kill_ them, not knock them out."

"And have a mob boss coming after us? No thanks."

"Dude, it don't matter. We can handle anything that comes our way, _as a team_, as you would say it."

"Let's. Go."

"Fine then."

The night club was dark, but flashed brightly to the music that blared out of speakers like canon fire. Spotlights and other light machines were mounted to a rotating plate attached to the ceiling of the club. They illuminated the mostly black and red club in spasms of white and yellow. At the center of the club was a square dance floor, where many young men and women moved to the song played by the DJ watching from above. Four thick columns of glass stood at the four corners of the dance floor. They marked its boundaries. To the left from the front door was a bar, shelves filled with alcohol flashing white to the beat of the music. To the left from the door were stairs to an elevated VIP area. A few guards stood by the beginning of the stairs and prevented anyone who wasn't allowed access from going up to meet the VIPs.

"Man, this club is lame. They don't have a bouncer at the front door _and_ they let everyone in. Talk about lack of exclusivity."

"Shut up Kanon." I walked down the white stairs in front of the club's entrance. "Look for a guy who looks in charge." I didn't get a reply. "Kanon?"

Kanon had stopped at the center of the stairs. He was staring, dumbfounded, at a pair of girls sitting at a table. They wore elegant dresses, looked like twins, and seemed deadly. "Yo, Isaac, I'm gonna go hang out with my new friends for the night, alright?" Kanon began the long journey towards the girls, keeping them in his vision the entire time. I would have stopped him if we weren't_ 'on even grounds'_ tonight.

"Friends?" I whispered to myself. "More like victims."

I walked through the dance floor, looking for Junior. When people saw me not dancing, and with a serious face on, they would playfully tease me and ask me to stop being a buzzkill. One young girl, younger than I was, pulled me to her and began dancing, forcing me to do the same. I wasn't afraid to dance with her, I was just a little shocked to be forced into dancing with a girl so early in my stay. The girl was short, red-headed, and freckled. She wore a cute black dress that brightened the flame color of her hair. She smiled at me throughout the entire time, impressed, excited. She would respond to my fluid, coordinated movements with her own cute and sexy dance moves. The girl was too young. I wouldn't have ever dated a fourteen-year-old like her.

"So what's your name?" She screamed over the blasts of music.

"Isaac!" I replied. "Yours?"

"Does it matter?"

I smiled. Obviously, this girl wasn't looking for an intimidate night. She was just saying hello. "Look, I got to go! It was fun dancing with you! Hey, uh, do you happen to know where a guy named Junior is?"

The girl's eyes widened, but they returned to normal very quickly. "Junior? He's my uncle! He normally drinks his life away at the bar!"

"Thanks!"

This wasn't good. I had just danced with the niece of the man I had come here to see. If he found out…I wouldn't think he would appreciate a stranger-

"Hey!" Junior's niece shouted. I stopped walking away. She came up and handed me a slip of paper. "That's my number! I wrote it down before I came here in case any cute guys showed up!" She smiled. "My name's Hanna! Call me if you ever need to know something my _filthy_ uncle won't tell you!"

I smiled back to Hanna, put her gift in my pocket, and walked away.

The bar was empty. Junior wasn't there. No one was there. Everyone was either dancing or enjoying the party going on in the VIP section, or trying to sneak into the VIP section in some cases. The bartender, cleaning a glass pitcher, noticed me. "You need anything kid?"

I leaned over the counter. "Yes, actually, I do. Martini."

"How would you like that?"

"Stirred, not shaken."

"That's gonna be a heavy drink for you. If I shake it, the drink will be less potent."

"I prefer a properly made martini with good texture, over cold water with a dash of gin and dry vermouth."

The bartender chuckled and started making the drink. "You got an ID on you, kid?"

"No." I took a seat at the counter. "But I do have money. Lots of money."

"Good. Oh, and, that's the boss's spot. I'd move if I was you."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind." I relaxed and put my head down, thinking. Junior wasn't here. I didn't know what to do.

"Actually," A deep voice began, "I do mind."

A thick hand clamped onto the back of my shirt and pulled me away. I was left standing, Junior between me and the counter. Calmly, and with a mature attitude, I spoke to Junior. "Well you came out of nowhere."

"Aren't you a little young to be in this club, blondie?"

"The name's not blondie, it's Isaac. Isaac…Canon." My hair wasn't blonde. It was a filthy mix between dark blonde and dark brown, but people still called me _blondie_ and I hated it.

"Isaac Canon, heh." Junior was handed a drink by the bartender. The criminal drank it while he faced me. "Well my name is Junior Xiong. Now, _blondie_, what do you want?"

A goon walked to junior and whispered in his ear. Junior became furious. He dropped his drink, the glass cup shattering and the alcohol splashing across solid floor. Junior inconsiderately pushed his goon out of his way. Junior stormed over to an area where leather couches and tables were placed for tired dancers to relax on. On one of these couches Kanon cuddled with the two girls he was interested in before. I walked beside Junior. It was hard to keep up with him.

"That boy is with me, don't hurt him."

Junior stopped and clasped my shoulders. He was holding them hard. It was painful. "Do you know who he's with? Those are my damn bodyguards!"

"I don't see how that's a problem."

"He wouldn't be the first boy to get comfortable with them, then try to stab them in the back. Get him away, _now_, or you're both dying here."

Kanon was reluctant to leave the girls when I asked him. I had to pull him off the couch because he was so interlocked with the girls. "Do you know who you're cuddling?"

"Yes, of course I do. They're two angels, sent straight from above."

"No, they are Junior's bodyguards. He thinks you're going to kill them."

"Why?"

"Because you're a stranger and a kid."

"Well, screw this." Kanon turned to the girls. "Melanie, Miltia, I'm so sorry about this guy. I barely know him."

I was furious. Kanon was being immature. He was going to continue being immature. I brought out a pistol, hid it under my jacket, and put it against Kanon's belly before anyone noticed. I whispered into his ear. "You don't get out of here right now and I swear I'll pull this trigger."

"Fuck you!"

I punched Kanon in the face. Hard. He grabbed his nose and shuffled backwards. The boy tripped and fell onto a table. Glass making up the table's top cracked. It broke apart while Kanon was trying to push himself up. The bottom of Kanon's exposed elbows got cut.

Foolishly, I had brought out the pistol when I punched Kanon. People screamed and backed away. Miltia and Melanie disappeared. Henchmen gathered around me. They each pointed weapons at me; assault rifles, knives, handheld flamethrowers, axes, baseball bats, machetes, revolvers, crowbars, shotguns, swords, pistols, sledgehammers, all the weapons under the sea. One henchman was addressing the crowd, assuring them the situation was under control. The henchmen pressed their weapons against my skin.

They were the ones in control. I couldn't do anything about them.

"I wanted to kill this one," I said as I slowly turned around and raised my arms, "not any of you."

One henchmen had been pushing his knife so hard into my cheek that he cut me while I was turning around. The gang of goons separated and made way for Junior. I lowered my arms, thinking it was safe. Junior paced towards me and violently dug his knee into my stomach. I dropped my pistol and fell to the floor. My stomach was burning. It had been set on fire. Breathing didn't help the pain. "Both of you, out of the club, now!"

* * *

An hour later Kanon and I were sitting alone in his car. Junior's henchmen surprisingly allowed us to leave. To make sure we wouldn't be making any more trouble they chased us through the city until we outran them. Kanon wanted to use his weapons, but I convinced him they would have shot back and killed him. He still hadn't changed his mind, so I had told him to think of the car. That made him think twice before engaging in a vehicular gunfight.

"This is all your fault." Kanon said. "If it weren't for you and your little stupid pistol, we'd be dancing with some babes right now." Kanon brought out a piece of paper from his coat's pocket.

"What is that?" I asked curiously. I moved my head to get a better look.

"What do you think? It's those twins' numbers."

I swiftly snatched the paper and tore it into shreds. I was angry. Kanon was devastated, and also angry. He wanted to speak, but he kept choking over his words. Red flooded into Kanon's face. "Get out of my car, _right now_."

"See you at Beacon." I left the sports car, making sure to slam the door extra hard. Kanon sped away, his tires screeching against the road. My own teammate left me on the street in the middle of the night like I was a stranger. What a great teammate.

I brought out my tablet and saved Hanna as a contact. Once she was in the device I sent her a message; _I need you_.

Two minutes later, Hanna responded; _I know_.


	8. Returning To Beacon

**[Chapter 08 - Returning to Beacon]**

_ You: I need you._

_ Hanna: I know._

_ Hanna: What do you need?_

_ You: I'm looking for my uncle._

_ Hanna: Funny. Im trying to get rid of mine. You can take him if you want :)_

_ You: Not in the mood for jokes._

_ Hanna: XD Alright alright. Look I'll talk to my uncle. I'll tell him you were an old friend or something so you can come back and talk to him._

_ You: No._

_ Hanna: … or I could look into his computer again. He normally gets messages from his bosses telling him stuff. If I have enough time I can save some messages but it will be hard not to be caught._

_ You: Anything will be appreciated. Just make this night worth it._

_ Hanna: Sure thing sweetheart_

_ You: Call me Isaac._

_ Hanna: Aww, but why :'(_

_ You: Because Isaac Canon is my name._

_ You: Look for something involving two airships and a Faunus, and lots of dust._

_ Hanna: Alright will do. So whens the next time I'll get to meet you?_

_ Hanna: Still there?_

_ Hanna: Dont ignore me_

_ Hanna: Meanie. :P_

_ You: Junior used to have a best friend that was in the White Fang. Find out if he lives in Vale. I need someone who actually knows something about the White Fang, not some ignorant night club owner who might or might not have worked with them._

_ Hanna: Alright will do :D_

_ Hanna: So will we ever hang out?_

_ Hanna: Isaac? Don't be a sourpuss._

_ Hanna: Isssssaaaaaaaacccccccc_

_ Hanna: Isaac, come on, please don't be like this. :(_

_ You: I'm walking right now. I can't talk._

_ Hanna: Oh okay sorry._

_ Hanna: Ima get on it._

_ Hanna: You owe me a hug (TwT)_

_ You: I'm turning my tablet off now. I'll talk to you later. Uncle's name is Michael._

_ Hanna: So Michael Canon?_

_ You: No, his last name is Jones._

_ Hanna: Alright then_

_ You: Bye._

_ Hanna: By, bab I'll always be here for yo XOXOXOXOXO!_

_ Hanna: just found something you might like. 4 weeks ago my uncles bosses told him tht an unmarked cargo airship was seen flying bery low into Vale. They say they wanted the airship because they think its filled with valuable things that had to be smuggled by another gang into the city. they were looking hard for it. Theres another message that was from yesterday saying they found a faunus gang in vale thats been working with the white fang. They think they are the ones who received the airship. Now my uncles bosses are looking for the gang. A lot of blabbering about not enough space in this town for the two of us and teaching lessons…if this is the gang that got that dust you were talking about then they are the ones you should go to. If this is these airship your uncle was on (im guessing by how stuffed your pockets were with bribe money, that you stole some of the dust from this airship while they weren't looking but you got caught and separated) then this gang would probably be the ones who took him prisoner. They are probably still mad you and him stole dust from them. But thts just my speculation and really I cant say anything…actually, i can, because i read a lot of news. Isaac Canon and Michael Jones…they were two other guys, with the same first names but different last names…who too died in a fire .ago. So whats up? Is this a coincidence?_

_ You: Hanna, thank you. Look, I've lied to you. This Faunus isn't my Uncle. He's a person who owes me a lot of money. He faked his death to try to escape me. Last I heard he snuck into an airship owned by the White Fang and started bagging dust, but the airship took off before he could escape. He was doing this to get my money back._

_ Hanna: …_

_ Hanna: that explains why you 2 have different last names and are different species. ok, i will help you find him but only if you save him_

_You: If he dies than I lose a lot of money._

_ Hanna: I'll talk with my uncle and see if him or his bosses found the faunus gang yet. If he has then ill tell you were they are and you can talk to them_

_ You: Or kill them all._

_ Hanna: …_

_ Hanna: …_

_ Hanna: …_

_ You: What?_

_ Hanna: u sounded just like my uncle just then_

_ Hanna: I dont think I should help you_

_ You: I'll be yours._

_ Hanna: 3 :* in that case then ill get to work_

_ You: My tablet's about to die. I need to talk to you later. Find that gang, and find the Faunus your uncle used to be friends with. If he went as far as to befriend a Human then I'm guessing he's given up on his own kind. He might side with me. Maybe your uncle can help as well. It works out for both of us, you know. I get my money and he makes his bosses proud._

_ Hanna: … ur evil._

_ You: But I'm yours._

_ Hanna: … ill do it. I'll show him these messages because I can't tell him with my own words. Ima delete some of the more…personal stuff_

_ You: Do what you need to. I'll be busy for the next few weeks so this little event might have to happen later on because I need to concentrate on combat school right now._

_ Hanna: ur training to become a hunter? :O_

_ You: I already am one, I just need to get through Beacon so I'll be recognized as what I already am._

_ Hanna: Cool. my uncle will be more willing to do this with you knowing you now how to fight. So as a recap, you want me to see if my uncle will help you hunt down a faunus gang who might have an animal who owes you a lot of money as a prisoner?_

_ You: Exactly. I was going to say this all to Junior myself, but my driver had to…disrespect him._

_ Hanna: but my uncles a girk._

_ Hanna: *jerk. Im typing waaaaayyyyy too fast_

_ You: Hanna, concentrate. This is a serious matter._

_ Hanna: Fine. My uncles pretty busy so like you said this might not happen in a long time_

_ Hanna: your name isn't really Isaac, is it?_

_ You: What do you mean?_

_ Hanna: that house fire this guy was told to died in…they found two bodies…one of them had this guys "nephew", Isaac Mavericks, dna. the other one was a john doe, but people said it was this guy your looking for because he rarely comes out of his house. ur pretending to be him arent you to fool people? Pretending to be Isaac? Well youve been doing a terrible job. u forget his last name!_

_ You: Well thank you, but no. My name is Isaac Canon. The fact that he had a nephew named Isaac as well allows me to pass as him. So no, I'm not always pretending to be this guy's nephew, but I have done it in order to get what I need._

_ Hanna: ur serious about getting your money aren't you?_

_ Hanna: uncle just closed up the night club. says too many people left after you ruined it. Ill go talk to him now._

_ Hanna: are you sure about this?_

_/Battery Life: 5% [Shutting Down]/_

I didn't like lying, but I had to. Hopefully, my lies to Hanna would convince Junior to work with me. I had chosen every word and fabricated every lie to make me seem less attached to Uncle than I really was. If Junior was still angry with me, and found I wanted my Uncle not because of money but because of family, he would have found him and blackmailed me. Now, he would think I was hunting my Uncle down for just cash, so he wouldn't consider using him as bait. I lied about my name and Uncle's name for obvious reasons. But Hanna was too informed; she already knew about the house fire. I lied about our names so she wouldn't go researching our deaths. But she already knew. Clever girl.

Uncle was out there, locked up in a room surrounded by a Faunus gang. The White Fang took a very strategic move; supplying what seemed to be a professional gang with enough dust to overpower the police and every other gang in the area was a great way to increase their numbers. Faunus were still Faunus, and Faunus tended to group up into packs. What if Uncle wasn't alive? It had been four weeks already. The leader of the group, the one the White Fang delivered the remaining airship to, probably had been furious when he only received half of his promised supplies. He had most likely tortured Uncle. Uncle was probably dead.

I shook my head hard. Uncle was alive. Faunus wouldn't kill another Faunus.

The scar on my left arm itched. Images of my burning house flashed through my eyes. I remembered dragging two Faunus carcasses into my house before I used Maelstrom to set it on fire. One of the carcasses had already been burned and wouldn't have been able to be identified. The other carcass I had mangled; I had stripped the Faunus of his teeth, stabbed him until all his blood had drained into the lake, then cut my own arm to collect blood for the carcass. It hadn't been the best job I could have done, but with enough dust I had been able to make the Faunus's carcass hold my blood. When investigators pulled his body out from my burnt down house they identified him by the only thing he had left; blood. It was my blood they had collected, and it was his carcass they had thought was my body.

The police in my old neighborhood hated Faunus. They wouldn't have dwelled into my case, a case involving an unidentified Faunus and a dead Human, because they hadn't cared. They had identified the bodies quickly, wrote a report, and went on to do something they had believed to be more worth their time.

It wasn't the perfect escape, but it was an escape. Whoever captured Uncle would have looked for me if I hadn't done what I did. I had four dead bodies on my hands; most people would have mentally collapsed in my situation, instead of being proactive and using the bodies to their advantage. If I had done this in a richer kingdom like Vale, which had more ambitious and dedicated police officers and investigators, I wouldn't have gotten away with it. Good thing that wasn't the case.

Velvet's face stained my vision. What was I thinking, going on this quest without remembering her? If I died trying to get Uncle back she would be devastated. I was the only thing that made her life bearable.

"Sir?" The bus driver asked.

"Yes?" I answered.

"This is your stop."

I looked out the bus's window. Outside was the small, lonely shuttle that would fly me up to Beacon. It was parked on a landing pad next to the river, a whistling pilot relaxing on a foldaway chair next to his silent airship. He was the only person who kept his business open this late. For the first time in the night, I smiled. Velvet was probably worried about me. I was about to stop her worrying. "Thank you very much." There was a lot of money in my pockets, money intended to bribe Junior with. I handed the bus driver all the money in my left pocket as I stepped out.

"Hey!" The bus driver screamed while I was walking away. "You overpaid!"

"Doesn't matter. I have enough money."

"Stop kidding around and come get your lien. You think I'm poor just because I drive a bus at night? I don't need your pity money, boy."


	9. Introducing Team VRK

**[Chapter 09 – Introducing Team VRK]**

"Hey, yo, don't tell anyone I brought you up here." The pilot, Jordan Faust, said as I exited the shuttle onto the entrance pathway into Beacon. "We're not supposed to bring people up here anymore."

"Got it." I saluted the pilot.

"Have a nice nigh-uh, erm, dusk." Jordan took off. The wailing of the engines broke the serene silence of the cliff side. Fire and air shooting out from the engine blew dust, the dirt kind, and leaves into the air around them. I inhaled some of the uplifted dirt. My nose burned. With a loud sneeze, my body expelled the dirt.

Time flew past me. I suddenly found myself in my dorm's hallway. I was tired, ready to pass out. After hours of walking, enduring exhaustion, and more walking, my feet finally collapsed. My body fell, my arms barely able to catch it before my face slammed onto the floor. Soreness overcame me; my body finally accepted the pain and the tiredness it had cached through the night. I rested against the outside wall of my dorm beside the door.

Rachel heard me sit against the wall. She stormed out, looked down at me, and slammed the door behind her. "_You!_"

"Me?" I asked the aggressive Rachel.

Rachel offered me a hand up. I took it, only to regret my decision; Rachel slapped me across the face, right on the bloody cut I got at the night club. It was on my right cheek so Rachel wasn't able to see it while I was sitting down against the wall. "Ew!" Rachel scowled at her blood-stained hand and cleaned off my blood with the cloth of the sleeve of her pajamas. "You are disgusting."

"That…that really hurt." I said. Rachel's blue pajamas now had purple stains on its right sleeve. "Nobody told you to go and touch me. My blood is _very_ stubborn in the washer."

"Whatever, you _psycho_." Rachel shoved me away from the door. "Kanon told us what you did. Why did you beat him up?"

I sarcastically smirked. Kanon convinced the girls I beat him up? _He_ was the one who started problems with Junior. I had to pay for it more than he did. "Don't believe any of the lies Kanon tells you."

Rachel put her bloody palm to my face. She scowled and scanned my body up and down, disgusted. "Looks to me like you got less banged up then Kanon did. Besides that _hideous_ cut on you face, which you completely deserve by the way, you're alright. I can't say the same for Kanon. His chin and chest are hurting real bad. Don't even get me started with how difficult it was to get all the glass out of his arms."

I closed my eyes, remembering the night. "That can be explained."

"No, nobody wants to hear your tired excuses! You beat him up and that's it. Your side of the story is worth less than a dog dead on the street."

"What did he tell you?"

"That you beat him up. That you pointed a gun at him!"

Velvet. How did Velvet think of me now? She probably didn't have a crush on me anymore. I abused Kanon and had no reason to. How did she think I would treat her? "I told him to not curse around me, but Kanon didn't listen. Kanon also-"

"_Kanon, Kanon, Kanon!_" Rachel interrupted. "You're always blaming other people for stuff you're responsible for. We want you to stop making excuses."

"We?"

"Velvet, Kanon, and I have talked. We don't want you sleeping in the same room as us anymore."  
_Velvet is mute. She doesn't talk._

I slowly backed up until I met the wall. "Alright. I see how it is. You know, if you're this gullible to Kanon's _very biased_ form of the story-"

"This isn't about Kanon!"

"Why are you sticking up for an asshole? You hate him. Now you love him. What has he been feeding you?"

Rachel faced the floor and put two fingers to her forehead. "This is giving me a headache. Look, I don't care what you're doing on the side, you got to concentrate on _your_ team. Whatever's going on, be it prostitutes or male prostitutes, whatever you're into…it stops _now_."

"Prostitutes?"

"You made Kanon drive you to the bad side of the residential district! What else would you be doing?"

"I was looking for my _fuck-king _Uncle!"

A door slammed open behind Rachel. A white haired girl with an irritated face leaned out of the doorway. "Can you two quiet down? Some of us are actually trying to get some sleep."

"Hello Weiss." Rachel waved.

"Hi Rachel. Can you keep it down?"

"Sure thing."

"_Thank_ you." Weiss blew a kiss at Rachel before disappearing into her dorm, slamming the door behind her.

Rachel paced forward until her raised finger was right in my face. She whispered softly. "Listen, you need to fix yourself. You have problems."

_And a bitch is one._

"What did you just say?"

"Huh?"

"You just called me a _bitch_ under your breath!"

"No I…" I broke off from the wall Rachel had pinned me onto. "That-that…alright, fine, I called you a bitch! At least I didn't mean to say it out loud."

"It's not what you _mean_, it's what you _do_." Rachel made a fist. She was holding herself back. "Now can you care to explain to us why you were in the bad part of the residential district?"

I exhaled. A bad feeling had overcame my body when I decided to let Kanon return to Beacon first. Why hadn't I listened to that feeling? "I was looking for my Uncle."

"That's not what Kanon said. He said you went into a night club, met a prostitute, and then pointed a gun at him for trying to make you leave her. I'm not really mad at the gun part, because I know Kanon has enough aura to block _at least _one pistol bullet, but-"

"-tell that to the fact he forget to use his aura when he fell onto glass." I interrupted. "I was looking for my uncle. I was going to bribe the owner of the club for information, until Kanon had to go and flirt with the guy's bodyguards."

"Is this the same uncle who died in a house fire a few weeks ago?"

How did Rachel know? _How the fuck did Rachel know?_ Who else knew? Did everyone in the world know about my fake death? When I wiped my slate clean, did I really clean it, or did I just shift the dirt around? "How do you know he died in a house fire?"

Rachel narrowed her eyes, furious. "Not a lot of people read the news from other kingdoms, but I do. I love knowing what's going on in other kingdoms. There was a small article on this one local paper I once read…didn't care much for it at the time, but it was a gift from a visiting friend…it pretty much said you and your uncle died in a fire."

"Can we keep this a secret?" Sweat dropped from my chin and splashed on my left shoe.

"I don't see the point of spreading it to the world. You didn't commit a crime. That house was yours and your uncle's, but I'm wondering who the two bodies they found in the house were. Care to explain _that_, Mister Innocent?"

This conversation was unbearable. I wanted to say it, say _'I killed four people, so you should stop talking to me like this' _just to end this excruciating argument. No wonder Kanon told _his _side of the story; if I would have arrived at the dorm first, I would have told _my _side of the story to the girls, and it would have been him facing Rachel's fury, not me. He placed the hatred on me. He exploited me to make himself look like the hero, and me the villain.

"You're not in the position to know everything."

Rachel gave in to her irritation. Her face turned red, she huffed, her face tensed up. She looked strained. "Don't get me started."

"I thought I already got you started."

"You're an asshole. You know, Velvet has been bullied since Day 1, and you do nothing about it."

"I'm working on that."

"Sure you are. It's easier to talk than it is to do."

My dorm's door opened. Velvet poked her head out the doorway to watch. I could tell she had been crying. Was she really this betrayed? Maybe she thought I was a nice guy, and now she was shocked at how violent I really was. I told her I killed four people; why was she crying at the fact I screwed up Kanon's chest and chin? Kanon walked out with a box filled with my belongings in his hands. Bandages covered his chin and arms. He walked to the middle of the hallway, looked at me, smirked, then hid his smirk when Rachel turned to him. I swear he wanted to throw my stuff onto the floor, but he instead considerately placed my possessions at his feet. He turned around and jumped onto his bed and covered himself with a blanket to block the light from the hallway.

"You know, my ex is just like you. Controlling, abusive, a liar." Rachel looked down, sullen. "Being with him taught me to stay away from guys like you. Kanon isn't the best guy himself, but it was you, not him, who threw the first punch." Rachel walked into the dorm. "Let's go Velvet."

Velvet stayed beside the door. She continued to lean. Rachel needed her to stand up straight, to stop leaning to see me, to close the door. We continued to hold eye contact. Velvet wanted to say something.

_She's mute, remember? She doesn't talk._

"Velvet," I began, "I wouldn't do anything like the things Kanon thought I was doing knowing you have a crush on me."

Velvet dropped her head. "Stay away from me." She hid behind the wall without looking back at me. Rachel gave her a sad look. Kanon smirked at me before Rachel closed the door.

"Motherfucker."


	10. Smelling The Rose

**[Chapter 10 – Smelling The Rose]**

The top of the dorm building was peaceful. There was an area, a flat roof, where students could go to. This platform had a perfect view of Beacon's courtyard. I could see the lights of Vale and the shining, shattered moon. Everything about up here calmed me down, which was a good thing because I was still furious with Kanon for what he did yesterday. The wind kept me cool and fresh. Despite what other people said about getting sick I always liked the cold. The deep cold, not just a breeze. Ever since I was a kid I hated wearing jackets and sweaters because they were uncomfortable and unnecessary for me. My body produced a lot of heat on its own. It didn't need fur or cloth to stay warm. The bitter cold was to me what a refreshing, pacifically breezy day was for others. No one believed me, until they touched my bare skin when it was really cold.

Even then people still teased me for having so much body heat, calling me _hothead_ among other names.

"You're gonna catch a cold." A high-pitched girl said. Ruby Rose stepped out from the open doorway leading onto the platform. A thick, rose-covered blanket was wrapped around her.

_Yang, Blake, Weiss, Ruby. I've met all of Team RWBY now._

"I'll be fine." I replied. I turned back to my view.

"Well, can you at least not sit on the edge?"

I smirked. Was she really afraid I would fall off? "But ma', I like dangling my feet off a tall building."

"It's dangerous."

"Why are you so concerned?"

"Because I'm looking out for you. I overheard Rachel and Weiss talking about you. They said you weren't sleeping in your dorm anymore. So I went and looked for you. And I found you."

"I don't need a child's concern."

"Hey, I'm not a child!"

"Says the child." I brushed my arm through my hair. "Thanks for looking out for me. I expected Velvet to be the first to find me."

Ruby, very carefully, sat on the edge of the roof with me. She was nervous she would fall. A sudden urge to push her off came to my mind. I didn't want to push her off, but a voice deep down in my head said that now was the perfect opportunity to. It made me feel uncomfortable. It was creepy.

"Are you thinking the same thing I'm thinking?" Ruby asked with a cute, frightened face.

"What are you thinking?"

"I kinda want to..."

"…push me off? Yeah, I have the feeling to." Knowing Ruby shared my low level of comfort sitting together near a very tall drop made me feel less afraid of my own evil. "So what's going on with your team?"

"Nothing much really. I've been having a few problems with Weiss. She thinks she would be the better leader but we worked things out."

"My entire team hates me."

"No they don't! You guys are just having a bad week. So you've been sleeping up here?"

"Yeah. Cold doesn't bother me. Little, nosy fourteen-year-old girls, on the other hand..."

"Hey, we're neighbors! I was only being neighborly. And I'm fifteen!"

"Cute. Soon you'll realize that most neighbors would kill you sooner than they would befriend you when you show up to their house uninvited."

Ruby's eyes rolled away. When she looked back at me her serious face turned into a smile. "I just got the most perfect idea!"

"What is it?"

"You can stay with us!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Stay with Team RWBY? Erhm…no thank you."

"Why not?"

"Because people will think I'm a creeper, sleeping in the same room as four girls who barely know me. There isn't space for me either."

"That's true." Ruby looked down at her dangling feet. She swayed them side to side. "So what were you thinking about before I got here?"

"I was thinking about how I would break Kanon's legs, tear them off, stab him until he can't bleed, rip his face off until he looks like the victim of a zombie, shred his arms to pieces, gouge his eyes out, burn his body, cut his tiny balls off, crack his skull against a brick wall like an egg, finish breaking his jaw, break his ribs, sever his spine so he can't fight back, and rip his heart out."

"Yikes. Do you really hate him that much?"

I sighed. "No, I don't really hate him. If I'm going to do anything to him than I'm just going to find out where he parked his car down in Vale and set it on fire. He probably parked in the student parking lot near the bottom of the cliff, unless he miraculously found a way to somehow drive it up here. I just don't like how Rachel sided with him."

"Well...you did beat him up. That probably makes people side against you."

"Yeah, I know." I looked down. The ground was very, very far down. "If I jump, and I really want to continue living, my aura will activate at just the right time before I impact the ground. If I want to die then my body won't activate my aura. Should I test myself?"

Ruby held an arm out and leaned me away from the edge. Her blanket made her arm seem like a furry wing. "That's not a smart idea. You're tired. Your aura is weak. It will break apart once you hit the ground."

"Let's test it out." I jumped.

Before I could feel wind, falling, or fear a force shoved me through a window under the platform I had jumped from. Four male students sleeping in the room I was now in screamed in shock from the loud noise. Ruby had jumped with me, but she used here weapon to launch herself into me, and blasted us through a window back into the building. She had done it so quickly. Ruby collapsed her scythe and fell to the floor, panting, her legs in an 'M' shape.

"I told you not to do that!" She wined.

My back hurt. It felt odd. It was numb, but there was a pain in it that I couldn't find. I just felt it, but I didn't know where it was coming from. The pain got louder and louder until I knew _exactly_ where it was. This little game of hide-and-go-seek ended with me discovering I had a large piece of glass stabbed into my shoulder blade. I couldn't move my arm without screaming.

"Great, now I got to take you to the infirmary!"

I touched the shard of glass impaled in my back. My body burned when I touched it. "Holy ass! There's fucking _glass_ in my fuck-king _fuck!_"

* * *

"How did you do it?" I asked Ruby. She had come to the infirmary with me. The nurse had patched me up and told me to relax on the bench until I was certain I felt no pain anymore. Medicine was melting my severed skin and muscle together, and it was not pleasant. It hurt. Badly. It felt like someone had poured melted gold into the crack the glass made in my torso.

"Do what?" Ruby was sitting next to me. She had been a good, worried friend throughout the entire process of patching me up. Having her there made me endure the pain. I couldn't have been a coward in front of a girl. She would have gone and gossiped about me, and by the next day the entire school would have been calling me _wuss, pussy, scaredy-cat,_ among other names.

"You were so quick when I jumped off."

Ruby giggled. "Yeah, impressive, right? It's my semblance. I can use my aura to go _really_ really fast. Don't you have a semblance?"

I thought back. Was there anything special I can do, any powers like super speed or the ability to use glyphs? "I've been able to do weird things with dust."

"Dust? Like what?"

"Well, I can use some forms of dust to seal liquids into dead bodies."

"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross." Ruby stood up and sat on the bed opposite of me. She held her arms up and shook them in a _'nuh-uh'_ gesture. "Why did you tell me that?"

"Because you asked. I sometimes took milk in a dead rat and gave it to a person as a prank. I would throw the dead rat on the floor in school, then some poor girl would stomp on it and make milk go all over the floor. It really scared people. Milk is creepy."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I could. Most of the people in my last school were feline Faunus, so mice and milk didn't bother them." I remembered the Faunus carcass I had filled with my own blood before I dragged it to my house to be burned.

"Hmm…that can't be your semblance. There has to be something more." Despite what I had just told her, Ruby was able to smile jubilantly.

"There's nothing more. Well…"

"Well what?"

"My weapon, Maelstrom, reads my mind. It knows when I want it to split apart and fire. I don't even have to be touching it. It's not a feature of the weapon itself, just a connection between the two of us. It's not too big of a deal for me anymore since I've had the sword for a while now."

"But that is a big deal! That is a very big deal!" Ruby summoned her huge scythe and hugged it like it was a teddy bear. "I wish Crescent Rose would read my mind. My finger gets tired from pulling the trigger so much." Ruby looked up at me with an excited expression. "Can I see your weapon?"

"Sure, hold on…" I looked around. Ruby had fetched my box for me after she escorted me to the infirmary. "It's in my box. You can check it out yourself. I don't feel like walking right now."

Ruby hopped over to the box holding my possessions. She opened it up and took out Maelstrom. The box was too small to hold the weapon in sword form. Kanon was lucky I had put it into rifle form before he collected my stuff and kicked me out of my own dorm. "Ooh. This is nice. A little complicated for my taste though. So how do I transform it?"

I chuckled. "You have to be me. That's how. I'm surprised Kanon brought it up with him instead of leaving it in his car. Guess he's not all bad. Well, actually, I think he did more out of fear than respect. He knew that if he left my weapon in his car, I would find his car, and I probably would have set it on fire."

"What's up with you and his car?"

"I'm going to engulf it in flames, that's what's up." I grinned maniacally. "He's going to pay for filling Velvet's head with lies about me."

"Velvet…that's the bunny girl you're dating, right?"

"Yeah…" I shook my head. "No, we were never dating…but we were close."

"Well, you shouldn't give up on love. People have to learn how to hate, but love comes naturally."

I studied Ruby. She was so joyful, so positive, so enthusiastic. She wasn't worried up to her skull like I was. She was a free dragon, while I was a caged bird. "You know, just so I won't be tempted to kill myself again, I think I'll take up your offer to stay with you."

"Great! This is perfect. We can get to really know each other better!"

I just couldn't help smiling. Happiness radiated off of Ruby like nuclear waste radiated cancer.


	11. Being The Villain

**[Chapter 11 – Being The Villain]**

Velvet and I never made up. She never forgave me, she never came to me, she never talked to me. A week had passed since I had been banished from my own dorm room. It had been a very long week. Rachel had entitled herself leader of team VRK. Rachel, Kanon, and Velvet had spent a lot of their free time together, practicing battle maneuvers, getting to know each other. Somehow, Rachel had convinced Kanon to treat Velvet like a human being. It wasn't the greatest of relationships, but it had allowed them to fight together. Whenever I had approached my own team at lunch or in the hallways they had pushed me away. Kanon and Rachel had worked hard to make me leave. Velvet had always stayed in the back, watching, silent. She had been following Rachel and Kanon. She hadn't been making her own decisions.

While they were sleeping, I had snuck back into the dorm. I had went to Kanon. I had wanted to hurt him so badly, to burn his face off, to stab his stomach. Killing Kanon would have been the greatest reward I could have given myself, but I couldn't. Kanon's ID Card was the only reward I had come to the dorm to collect. With it, I had went down to the student parking lot at the base of the cliff. There had been an automated guard at the entrance, a stupid wall-mounted machine, that had only checked the ID Card but not the face using it. It had let me in to the student parking lot, wishing me a good day, and opened the small garage holding Kanon's car.

When I had gotten to the garage I had swung my backpack around to my front and brought out my tools.

Now I was here, a hammer, a bottle of pink spray paint, a small container of gasoline, a lighter, and some other destructive items at my feet. Maelstrom hadn't come with because it would have refused to help destroy Kanon's car. For something that didn't have a mind of its own, Maelstrom found a way to be a complete bitch sometimes. I just wanted to ruin Kanon's car, to shatter all the windows, deflate all the tires, engulf the engine in flames. I wanted to make sure Kanon received the punishment he deserved for making my own team hate me. I shook the spray paint can to mix the paint, uncapped the gasoline container, and sparked the lighter to check if it worked.

Despite all the hatred he built up in my chest, I couldn't do this to Kanon. More specifically, I couldn't do this to Kanon's sports car. The vehicle didn't deserve Kanon's punishment. Kanon did. It was innocent. It was Kanon's pawn. It couldn't defend itself. I was here, holding a can of pink spray paint, threatening a beautiful, innocent car. This wasn't fair.

"Fuck it!" I screamed, putting my tools back into my backpack. After pressing a button on the wall next to garage, its door closed. I left without destroying Kanon's car. The automated guard machine at the front of the parking lot wished me good day.

* * *

Goodwitch had noticed the separated state of the team. She had summoned us all, told us of our disgraceful actions, and had asked for an explanation. Rachel had told her side of the story, I had told mine. Goodwitch had decided to settle the dispute with a duel. If Rachel won, I had to step down as leader. If I won, Rachel and the others had to follow my orders like they were supposed to.

Rachel and I were now on the battle platform in the assembly area, the place I used to call the stage in the auditorium until I knew its actual name.

"Students, we are proud to hold our first classic duel of the year. Today, Rachel Hollows," Glynda Goodwitch raised an arm to Rachel, "of Team MVRK, and Isaac Maverick," Goodwitch lowered the arm she used to point at Rachel and then raised her other arm to me, "of Team MVRK will compete for leadership of Team MVRK. This wouldn't normally be allowed to happen, but Team MVRK is a very special case. Hopefully todays ends the hostility and infighting held by this unfortunate team."

Rachel had been glaring at me from beginning, glaring at me since we stepped onto the platform. For the first time since we met I got a chance to truly study Rachel's appearance. She was beautiful, but like I said before she wasn't my type. She was short, about 5'4'', and had shoulder-length dark red hair. She was skinny and muscular, but not muscular enough for her to appear disgusting and strange. Her battle apparel consisted of elegant yellow and white armor. Her weapon was strapped to the back of her waist. It was nothing but hilt in its stored-away form.

The loud crowd around us had been cheering. Most of the people cheering for Rachel were girls. Most of the people cheering for me were bullies who just wanted to see a girl be put in her place. Team CRDL was closest to me, standing right next to the edge of the platform, encouraging me to be merciless. Yang and Ruby were also cheering me on, but were more positive and innocent than Team CRDL. Weiss rooted for Rachel and told her to teach me a lesson. Blake wasn't in the assembly area at all.

"Now, students, I will recount the rules of the battle arena." Goodwitch began. "Rule one, all weapons must remain in non-firearm form. If any weapon is transformed into a firearm or is used with firearm features than the participant using that weapon will be immediately disqualified. Rule two, no using aura for special abilities, such as swift speed. Rule three, no maiming, bruising, or killing in the battle arena. Any student who does any of these will face immediate suspension or expulsion, and in the case of murder, redirection to the Vale Police Department. Do each of the current two participants understand these rules?"

"Yes Mam!" Rachel shouted.

Goodwitch turned to me. "How about you, Mr. Maverick?"

I chuckled. "As long as Rachel doesn't get herself killed, she'll be fine."

"_Mr. Maverick!_" Goodwitch exclaimed in a disciplinary tone.

"Yes, I understand the rules, Glynda."

"Don't mind him, Ms. Goodwitch." Rachel said. "He's disrespectful."

"I see." Goodwitch tapped her tablet. The lights in the assembly area dimmed. Only the battle platform was illuminated brightly. A portrait of Rachel appeared on a screen above her side of the platform.  
I assumed the same happened with me. Rachel was serious and respectful in her portrait, while I managed a smirk in mine. It was a smirk, not a smile, a smirk made just to skip the conversations where girls would criticize me about not being positive in my school picture. Goodwitch displayed green bars under our portraits. They measured the amount of aura we had.

When fighting a monster, aura depleted slowly. When fighting another aura-rich being, aura depleted quickly. This was because more aura was needed in order to penetrate the aura of another, unlike monsters which had no aura at all.

Goodwitch pushed her glasses back to the top of her nose. "Battle ends when either participant's aura reaches critical levels or when one participant is left unarmed for more than ten seconds. Begin."

The crowd exploded.

Rachel detached her weapon, just a hilt at the moment, connected to the back of her waist. She spun around in fancy maneuver. The movement caused two straight fifty-centimeter blades to slide out of either side of the hilt. She held the weapon out, a double blade sword, waiting for me to draw. Her fans rooted her on. The cheering then died off. The assembly area became silent. Everyone's eyes were on me.

I didn't draw Maelstrom. If I drew it, then it would have shot out flames, and I would have been disqualified. Instead I raised my arm and gestured for Rachel to _come here_.

With a battle shout, Rachel ran and slashed one of the blades of her sword at me. I dodged quickly and dashed to the other side of the platform. Rachel recovered from missing her strike, did a fancy trick with her double blade sword, and rushed towards me with another battle cry. Yet again, I dodged, and yet again, I dashed to the other side of the platform. Rachel now realized I was making her waste all of her aura by attacking me and missing. She had already used forty percent of her aura in just these two powerful strikes. I had only used ten percent of my aura dodging quickly.

"You coward!" Rachel exclaimed after she recovered for her second strike. "Draw your weapon so I won't kill you!"

"Can't touch this." I grinned. "Even with a war hammer."

Rachel's scowl deepened. One of the two blades on her sword sunk back into the hilt. Rachel screamed, used her aura to propel herself into a powerful leap, and swung at me from above. She expected me to dodge her strike, so I swiftly unsheathed Maelstrom and blocked her sword. Confused and shocked, Rachel fell to the floor. She had lost her grip on her weapon when the blades of our swords collided. Her weapon had slid behind me. Rachel was on her back. She would have gotten up if I hadn't placed the tip of my sword to her neck.

A timer started to count down from ten above Rachel's portrait. The crowd synchronized and counted down with the timer. At five seconds I returned Maelstrom to its scabbard, allowing Rachel to roll and grab her sword before her timer finished. Rachel had used all of her aura in her attacks. She only had thirty percent left. At ten percent Goodwitch would have ended the battle. I still had ninety percent of my aura available. With yet another fancy dance, Rachel slide the hidden blade out from her weapon's hilt and held her weapon up. Instead of unsheathing Maelstrom, like Rachel wanted me to, I crossed my arms and gave her a disappointed look.

If Rachel would have forfeited she could have ended the duel with her pride intact. Despite this, she foolishly went ahead and rushed me again, this time slow enough for me to not only dodge her stab but also grab her weapon. She hadn't expected me to try to snatch her sword so she had been holding it with just one hand, although the hilt was long enough for both her hands to fit on. Her grip on the hilt was weak. I had been able to snatch her weapon away easily.

Rachel was shocked, her angry jaw wide open. With a fancy spin of my own I slid the two blades back into the hilt of Rachel's sword. We engaged in a hateful stare. My face had been calm before, but now it showed disapproval. Rachel had the perfect opportunity to surrender honorably. Now I had made her seem reckless, seem like a terrible fighter, and made myself look like an even worse bad guy. Slapping Rachel would have been the only action worse than what I had just done. Rachel sat on the floor, defeated.

The timer restarted. The crowd counted down. I let them reach zero. A buzzer buzzed. All of my supporters cheered. All of Rachel's fans stayed mute. Weiss accused me of cheating. While Goodwitch was declaring me the victor I walked over to Rachel and gently dropped her weapon, just a hilt, on her lap. I then offered her a hand up, but she slapped my arm away and stood on her own. She walked away before being dismissed by Goodwitch. Weiss and a few other of her close friends walked out with her.


	12. Giving An Order (Extended)

**_TheRadioShower: Isaac is not an anti-hero, he's just having difficulties. I extended this chapter to make that clear to you all._**

* * *

**[Chapter 12 – Giving An Order]**

"What do _you_ want?" Rachel spat when I walked over to her table during lunch. Kanon sat beside her. Velvet was alone, once again, sitting by herself at an empty table.

"Why isn't Velvet sitting with you guys?" I asked. "I thought you got really close in the past week."

"Because of you! Ever since you won that match, by cheating of course, yesterday she's gone back to her lonely ways."

_Velvet. Why do you have to be so difficult? _

"Okay." I turned back to Rachel. "You and Kanon, and if Velvet shows up, will continue practicing like you've been doing. But, Rachel, you have to learn how to use your weapon with just one blade."

"What!" Rachel scowled. "I've been using it with both blades extended for _years_. I know how to fight with it."

"You know how to fight, but you don't know how to fight well. I've seen the recordings of initiation. In the Emerald Forest Kanon had to do most of the fighting because of you. You can't use that weapon in a broad spectrum of movements. Your limiting yourself by having both blades extended, and Kanon would completely agree with me on this."

"Hey, fuck you man!" Kanon threw a loaf of bread at my face. "You have no right to talk to Rachel like that."

"I am your leader, we settled that yesterday, and I am giving you a direct order. Do not disobey me. Rachel, if you don't learn how to fight with just one blade then I'm not going to let you participate in any battles."

Before Rachel could complain, I left, leaving her mad at Kanon.

* * *

I was in the dorm, unpacking my stuff, when I found a picture of Uncle. I studied it, savored it like a bit of pornography. Uncle looked so happy, so peaceful, so satisfied in the photograph. It was taken before Uncle severed his antlers, when he actually looked like a Faunus, and when I could turn to him and be reminded of wintertime, my favorite time. I missed Uncle as much as I missed the cold. No, I missed him even _more_ than I missed the cold. I wanted to shed a tear for Uncle, to prove I missed it, but my eyes were dry. So much time had passed since I last saw him. The strong emotions I once had for Uncle were now silent whispers. Time had healed me. I was ready to surrender Uncle to the afterlife.

I saved my tears for when we would be reunited.

Velvet entered the room and slammed the door behind her. She came from lunch, crying the entire way. She leaned against the door and sank into a sitting position. Velvet buried her face in her knees. She began to sob and shout, cursing under her breathe. Her bunny ears flopped downwards. Her tears began to wet her skirt and leggings.

"Velvet, are you alright?" I asked. Velvet didn't respond. The cute little bunny girl didn't care if I was in the room; she allowed all her feelings to flood out from her body. I sat on my knees in front of the girl. "Velvet?"

It took a while for her to respond. Before she did, Velvet wiped her eyes so I wouldn't see her with an ugly face. I didn't care about her looks; if she wasn't happy, I wasn't happy.

"Promise me." Velvet said softly.

"Promise what?" I asked. My lips were ready to be pursed, but I stayed serious. Velvet didn't need a sign I didn't care for her, because I truly did. I wanted to end her sobs, clean up her tears, and give her a hug. I wanted to kiss her. "What do you want me to promise you?"

"That you will never hurt me." Velvet held a serious expression. She didn't look sad or happy. She looked like she wanted an answer. Her words were meaningful, filled with emotion, and she had said exactly what she meant. "Promise me that you will never hurt me."

"Velvet, of course I'm not going to..." I stopped myself. I wanted to be honest. Should I have lied to Velvet? "Look, I'm going to tell you the truth. I don't know if I can promise you that. On stage, against Rachel, I wanted to smack her. The only thing that sopped me was the crowd. I'm a violent person, you know that. At home I released that violence on the monsters terrorizing my town. Here, there aren't many monsters left to use as punching bags. I like you, but Velvet...I don't want to hurt you."

Velvet remained silent. She stared at me. Her face became less sad. Her tears slowly began to stop. "Is that your way of making a girl feel better? Honesty?" Velvet gave me a smile. It was forced, but Velvet had good intentions.

I smirked and held out my arms. Velvet sat up and hugged me. "I'm so glad to know you don't hate me."

"I never hated you." Velvet broke away from the hug and sat up. She had seen me holding Uncle's photograph in my hand when she walked in. "That photo, was of you?"

"Uh, no, it was of Uncle. Why?"

Velvet looked away, then met my eyes again. "I'd like a photo of you."

_Velvet...please tell me you still have a crush on me. Please. I want to hear it, straightforward, 'I still have a crush on you'._

"Alright." I got up and went to my box to dig through be possessions. During the wait, Velvet sat on my bed and watched me. She sat up straight, legs together, hands on her lap. I found an old picture of myself, a prom photo Uncle had taken of me and my ex-girlfriend. I was wearing a suit, she was wearing a dress. I thought I had been in love with her. I was wrong. After ripping my ex-girlfriend's side of the photograph off I held the picture up to Velvet. Right as she was going to snatch it, I pulled the photograph back. "You get the picture after you tell me who made you cry."

Velvet's near smile sank into a frown.

"Tell me." I sat next to Velvet and placed the picture in her hands. "Please."

"CRDL."

"Which ones?"

"All four."

I exhaled. Team CRDL was bullying Velvet? They must have been very cruel to make Velvet cry all the way to her dorm. "I see anyone bullying you from now on and I will _whoop_ their _ass_, got it? Cardin and I are going to have a talk tomorrow."

"Thank you." Velvet held up the picture to the side of my face and giggled. "I think I like you better with short hair."

I touched my hair. I had let it grow for more than a year. The last time I had a haircut was a month before Uncle disappeared. In the photograph Velvet was holding up I had a buzz cut. "I can go to Vale this weekend and get it cut for you."

Velvet genuinely smiled. "I'd like that." Velvet's bunny ears rose up and straightened out. Her smile faded. She looked at her legs. "I would like to be left alone for a bit."

Why was Velvet being this way? We were making up, shrinking the space Kanon had put between us, but she still wanted to be left alone. She pushed me away again. Was she trying to make me feel worse? I was beginning to think we were about to have our first kiss, but instead she wanted to be left alone. If I had lied to her, if I had promised not to hurt her, she wouldn't have been like this. Velvet was the only person I cared for in this school. If she died I would have gone with her. If Rachel died, I would have barely mourned her. If Kanon died, I would have held a _fiesta_. Only one thing could have made me happier than Kanon's death; Velvet kissing me.

Velvet hugged me, jumped to her feet, and walked out of the room. Before she left, Velvet turned around with a small smile and told me something that made me very happy. "I still like you."


	13. Making Velvet Happy

**[Chapter 13 – Making Velvet Happy]**

Cardin Winchester was walking down the hallway alongside his team when he finally met me. I had been waiting, blocking the entire hall with my sword, only allowing those who weren't Cardin or his team to pass. Team CRDL stopped joking around with each other when they saw me waiting for them with my sword drawn. All four of them were silent. All four of them were staring at me. Sky Lark, the biggest coward of the group, hid behind Dove Bronzewing and Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester stood bravely at the front, closest to me.

"Isaac." Cardin Winchester, with as much respect as he could manage, said. "Put the sword down. None of us have our weapons drawn, buddy."

"That isn't my problem, now is it, _buddy_?" I scowled at Cardin. Maelstrom ignited. It spat out blue flames, the hottest fire it could create. Soon the flamethrower fuel in Maelstrom's hilt would run out. The sword wasn't meant to keep flames this hot alive for long periods of time. "Now you're going to stay away from Velvet Scarlatina or I am going to _whoop_ your _ass_."

"Velvet...Scarlatina?" Confused, Cardin turned to his closest teammate, Russel Thrush. Russel Thrush only shrugged at his leader. "Which one is that again?"

Maelstrom transformed into an assault rifle. I gripped it tight and aimed it at Cardin Winchester's face. "Think _very_ hard."

Cardin Winchester and his team slowly backed up. Sky Lark and Dove Bronzewing, cowards, ran once they saw a powerful firearm pointed at them. Russel Thrush stayed with Cardin Winchester as long as he could until his own fear caused him to follow his two cowering teammates.

"Some pretty good teammates you got there, leaving you with a guy with an assault rifle." I smirked. "So, do you know who Velvet Scarlatina is yet?"

"The bunny girl." Cardin Winchester held his arms out. Did he really think his arms were going to stop a bullet? "The bunny girl. You want me to stop talking to her?"

"I want you to _stay away_ from her."

"Why? Do you like her or something?"

I pointed my weapon at Cardin Winchester's legs. He knew I wouldn't shoot him in the head, but he wasn't so sure about his legs. "Do you know who I am?"

"You-you're Isaac Maverick. Leader of Team MV...oh shoot."

"Exactly. Now, I hope this makes it clear that Velvet Scarlatina is off limits. You touch her, talk to her, bully her, even get near her...I'm going to break your legs."

"Well, I need my legs, so...Isaac-boy, we have come to an understanding."

"Good, now run along to your team."

"But I need to go _that_ way." Cardin Winchester, with his arms still raised, pointed a finger behind me. After I didn't answer, Cardin Winchester turned around and walked quickly to the end of the hall.

I aimed my rifle at him until he was out of my sight. Once I was sure he was gone I transformed Maelstrom, stored it in the scabbard strapped to my back, and turned around. I nearly had a heart attack; Professor Ozpin had been behind me, studying the situation, a cup of coffee or tea in his hands. When wasn't Professor Ozpin drinking something? It was his trademark. If anyone would have asked me who Professor Ozpin was, I would have told them to look for the man always drinking something hot.

"Mr. Maverick." Professor Ozpin began. "We do not harbor criminals at this school. You've already killed four. Please do not increase that number."

_Ozpin knew? Ozpin knew! Did the whole world know I killed four Faunus?_

"S-sir..." I tried to say.

"This is not the time for excuses. Our inside rage cannot follow us into battle. It clouds our judgment. You are a leader, not a brute. Begin to act like such." Professor Ozpin continued walking.

My shock kept me in place. Once I grew the courage to, I quickly turned around and shouted at Ozpin before he was too far away to hear me: "Why don't you have me arrested?"

Ozpin stopped walking. He turned his head so I could see his mouth move. "Those men you killed were terrorists on death sentences. They were living on borrowed time. The police wouldn't arrest you for doing a good job of eliminating four criminals."

"But do you really think they were criminals?"

"I don't know, but I know this isn't the time for this conversation." Ozpin turned and continued walking. Something told me he wouldn't have stopped if I called his name again.

Despite this feeling, I still called him once more. "Ozpin, how do you know about this?"

"Blake Belladonna told me," Ozpin shouted, "when I asked her why she sent you to a dangerous night club far away. Don't worry, Mr. Maverick. Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

"So how'd you like the hair done?" The barber said as she gestured me onto a chair. "Boy, you have some real crazy hair."

"Yeah, I know. It's been two months and a week since I got it cleaned up, but the last time I had short hair...the beginning of last school year. " I told the barber. "A buzz cut will be fine."

I remembered the prom picture I had given Velvet. That picture had been taken at the end of my second to last year at combat school, about a year and a half ago, before I decided to grow my hair long. My girlfriend at the time, Helen, had been graduating and decided to bring me to prom. It was embarrassing, being invited to prom by a girl, but I wasn't complaining. Not many people got to experience prom _twice_ like me. Helen graduated and moved to another kingdom to train to be a huntress, leaving me lonely for my final year at combat school. She hadn't gone to Beacon.

"Boy, do you really want to get rid of all this wonderful hair?"

"Yes." I closed my eyes and rested. "Just get rid of it all. It's for a girl."

"Aww, puppy love. So cute."

I laughed quietly. "Puppy love, sure. Would I get rid of all this _'wonderful hair'_ just for puppy love?"

"Of course!" The barber collected her tools on a raised tray next to the chair. She placed a large comb attachment onto a clipper and began to brush my hair off. My head began to feel less heavy and strained. The barber shop around us was bright and cheerful, unlike the dark and gloomy night outside. A large mirror took up one of the long walls. Framed pictures of happy customers took up the other long wall. Three chairs were placed close to the giant mirror. Small holographic screens above each chair displayed news. I was seated in the middle chair. This one barber was the only employee left this late at night. "So, you got a name, boy?"

"Isaac. Isaac Maverick."

"What a nice name. My name is Alicia."

"Hello Alicia."

"Hello Isaac." Alicia said. I watched her make my hair slide off my head in the mirror. She used different tools from her tray to cut certain sections and thicknesses of my hair. She constantly swapped the attachment of her clipper for a different comb that suited my new hair length.

The news being displayed above me caught my attention. They had just said the name of my home kingdom. "Hey, Alicia, can you turn that up please?"

Alicia complied. She grabbed a remote on her tray and increased the volume on the hologram television. A woman was delivering a breaking news report on the cargo airship I had taken down. She stood at the shore of the lake in the plain, workers behind her taking the airship apart and organizing its pieces into piles.

"...White Fang airship smuggling cargo that is currently missing. Authorities say this cargo was most likely a large quantity of stolen Schnee Dust Company products. We can only assume the White Fang returned for the cargo. Investigators believe the ship crashed five weeks ago, possibly on the same day a house fire took the life of Michael Noel," A picture of Uncle appeared on the screen. It was his company photo from when he worked for the SDC five years ago. In uniform, Uncle looked as unhappy as he could be. His antlers didn't completely appear in the portrait. The picture disappeared and the news lady continued talking, "and the life of his adopted son, Isaac Maverick."

I realized asking Alicia to increase the volume of the television wasn't an intelligent choice.

My picture appeared on the screen. I was in my combat school uniform, holding a battle rifle, standing in a respectful stance. It was the picture my combat school used for my ID during my last year attending there. They had told me not to smile for the picture. I hadn't been able to help myself. The news women finished her report. "Authorities say the two bodies of the White Fang terrorists found inside were decapitated. They couldn't have suffered these injuries during the crash, so authorities believe a third party attacked the airship, killed the crew, and claimed the cargo. Investigators are trying to figure out what the cargo was and if this event is at all related with the house fire mentioned before. We..."

Alicia turned off the hologram television.

We remained silent. We stared at each other's reflections on the mirror wall. We weren't smiling anymore. Alicia had many questions, questions I wouldn't be able to answer.

"Alicia," I began, "I'll pay you triple if you don't ask questions."

Alicia nodded and continued to cut my hair.


	14. Whistling Petals Away

**[Chapter 14 – Whistling Petals Away]**

_ It's been a week. Yes I know. Nobody's come after me. What about Junior and Hanna? They know my face. If they saw the news broadcast I saw at the barber shop...but maybe they didn't care. What about all the students at Beacon? I bet a lot of them saw the news broadcast. A lot of people are probably wondering how I'm walking the halls if I'm supposed to be dead. What am I going to do? What about the White Fang? Is it possible for them to have spies at Beacon? Now I'm just being paranoid. What about the police? Would they come and arrest me if they found out the truth? They were going to find out the truth, eventually. _

"Yo. Isaac." A very deep voice called. "Woah, you got a haircut?"

I shook my head, escaping my mind, and looked around me. I was on a passenger airship, an airship heading to the Forest of Forever Fall. Professor Peach had given us an assignment, a simple assignment; collect a jar of sap from the trees in the forest. I was sitting in the back of the airship, alone. Kanon had found me. I looked up at him. For a second, I studied my teammate. Kanon had dark skin, contrasting with his nearly-white, short and spiky blonde hair. He was muscular, a little taller than me, and always wore shiny dark-purple armor or his school uniform. Only once had I seen him in anything else; when we went to Junior's night club together he had worn casual street clothes.

"Yeah." I said as I sat up and moved over, letting Kanon sit next to me. "Got it last weekend. You didn't notice?"

"No! We never hang out." Kanon looked at me curiously. "I used to think ya' were hiding a pair of animal ears in that funny hair of yours."

"Why?" I said, nearly laughing.

"Because your dad or whatever is one of the animals." Kanon put his hands together and slouched. "I thought you were lying about being a Human. You know, cuz' you want to fit in."

Why was Kanon being so...friendly? Last week he was cursing me out, now he was making conversation with me. "Why are you...being so nice?"

Nice Kanon chuckled. "Uh, dude, can't you tell? Me and Rachel...we've been, uh...dating I guess you can say. It's your fault. You're the one who made us practice this whole dang week."

I smiled at Nice Kanon. "So all you needed is a girlfriend, and you've turned into a marshmallow?

"Hey, yo, bro, dude, you calling me a burnt marshmallow?"

"Relax Nice Kanon. I'm just glad you're not a sack of turd anymore."

"Hey, I'm still a sack of turd. But..." Nice Kanon studied me. "...now that I know you're not one of the animals, and you gave me a cute girl to smooch, I think I should stop terrorizing you. There's plenty of other douchebags out there to molest."

Nice Kanon's last comment made me laugh. I nearly fell off my seat. "_Molest?_ You know what, I don't want to know."

"Hey, screw you man! You knew what I meant. It's just that I don't like assholes, so I go and ruin their lives. I thought you were an asshole."

Nice Kanon was making me uncomfortable. I wanted to punch him, just to make him mad, but a small airship wasn't the smartest place to have a fist fight. I stood up and looked down at Kanon. "Kanon, like I said before, I'm glad you're this way, but don't invest everything you have into Rachel. I don't want you to go back to your old self."

"Doesn't matter. If Rachel decides to leave then I'll still be like this, unless you start _assholing_ again."

The ship stopped. Metal on the walls retracted, revealing glass windows and letting blinding sunlight burn into the hull of the airship like fire. Outside was a forest of nothing but red trees. It was beautiful, and the sunlight shining onto the red trees made them glisten like diamonds. Another airship had landed in front of us. A few teams stepped out. Glynda Goodwitch led these three teams into the forest.

"Yo, this isn't fair." Nice Kanon complained. Just like me, he was standing on the bench in the airship to get the best view through the windows. "We got to wait for that witch to _tourguide_ those kids before we can get off? That's messed up."

I smiled. "Take it this way; if there are any monsters down there, they'll be the first to meet them."

* * *

"This is my second time repeating this today, and there won't be a third, so listen up." Glynda said as she led us through the forest. "Professor Peach has asked all of you to collect samples from the trees deep inside this forest, and I'm here to make sure none of you die while doing so."

Nice Kanon and Rachel were holding hands. I wanted to shudder, to vomit, at the fact that they were together. Had I hit my head? Was I dreaming? It would explain Nice Kanon and how Rachel took a liking to him. It was strange seeing my teammates' personalities change. At the beginning of the year everyone had been so respectful, so polite, as to give a great first impression. No one had hated each other. Now, Kanon spoke casually all the time, unlike the beginning of the year when he had spoken formally. Rachel became less of a saint and more of a bitch, but Kanon was keeping her distracted. Velvet...continued to avoid me, through all this time.

The Forest of Forever Fall whistled around us. Crimson petals fell from the red trees like a soft rain. Some petals glided onto my face. When they did I would blow them off with silent whistles. The ground seemed to absorb the petals and return them to the trees. The scene made me smile. It was a gorgeous place. I promised myself I would get Velvet to let me take a picture of her standing against one of the trees before we left.

The teams split apart. Team MVRK walked deep into the forest until we decided we had walked deep enough. Kanon and Rachel collected sap, joking around with each other, occasionally starring into each other's eyes. I stood watch, Maelstrom raised, a small fire burning between the split blade. Velvet collected her sap while she was out of my sight. In the corner of my eye I saw her standing respectfully in her school uniform, a jar of red sap held in her arms. She looked lonely and sad, but in her own adorable, beautiful way. Velvet put the jar down and held her hands. She looked into the sky. The petals fell around her, making the scene pristine and awe-inspiring.

Before she noticed I took out my tablet and snapped a photo of her. She heard the click of the camera and turned. The picture was perfect; it had snapped right before Velvet turned her head, so she didn't look blurry or deformed.

"Isaac." She quietly said as she turned to me with sad eyes. "I need to tell you something."

Rachel screamed. I turned to her, but she and Kanon were gone. Their jars were on the ground next to each other. They must have walked deeper into the forest for some privacy and to make-out. If this was a horror movie they would have been dead.

"Velvet, get help!" I shouted. Then I realized something and turned to Velvet again. "Be careful, there might be..." Velvet had already left. She was very quick when she needed to be. I didn't have to worry about monsters trapping her. She was quick enough to outrun every monster in the world.

Maelstrom transformed into an assault rifle. I ran to where I had heard Rachel's scream come from. Dashing around trees, hoping across ponds and branches, I finally made it to a bright clearing. Kanon and Rachel were standing on my side of the clearing. On the other side...four Ursas; two Ursa cubs, one Mama Ursa, and one extremely huge Papa Ursa.


	15. Double Edged Girl

**[Chapter 15 – Double Edged Girl]**

"Everyone calm down." I used my arms to motion Kanon and Rachel back. I had placed myself in front of them. They needed orders, so they needed to see my hands. "Slowly back up. We don't have to aggravate them."

"We don't have to?" Kanon snorted. Disregarding my orders, he stepped forward. "We do have to. They come any closer and we are _obliged_ to have to."

Without drawing too much of the Ursa family's attention, I grabbed Kanon from behind and covered his mouth with my arm. Everyone was still, Ursa and Human alike. The Forest of Forever Fall whistled around us. Petals fell on my face. I blew them off with a small whistle. We were now at a stalemate with the four Ursas. The clearing was their home, and Kanon and Rachel hadn't realized that until they stepped into it.

"Look," I whispered to Kanon, "Ursas act more like animals rather than monsters when they are in a family. This Papa Ursa is waiting for us to charge at him or to run away."

Kanon wiggled his head to slide my hand off. "So we just wait here forever?"

"No." I leaned closer to Kanon's ear. "Get on its face. Try to make it stand up."

"Gotcha." Kanon shook his way free from my grasp. He summoned his weapon, a round chakram with a thirty centimeter diameter. His chakram was a sharp, red circular blade placed on a brown, round leather handle. A straight, black leather grip within the circle of the chakram allowed Kanon to hold the weapon without touching its blade. Four metal spikes suddenly popped out of the blade in an arrangement like an 'X'. Kanon pulled his weapon apart, creating two separate chakrams. Strings slithered out of the armor on Kanon's wrists and tied onto the central handles of his weapons. Chakrams were intended to be thrown, and nothing more. The string attached to Kanon's wrist allowed him to pull his weapons back like yo-yos. Kanon knew how to box with his chakrams in his hands. That's how he fought.

Papa Ursa roared, shooting us with waves of spit, shockwaves of sound, and clouds of bad breathe. A ringing grew in my ear. Mama Ursa and Baby Ursa One and Baby Ursa Two hid behind the man of their house, Papa Ursa. They were curious to see how their patriarch would handle the three intruders who had just paid them an unwanted visit.

"Kanon, wait, I change my-" I tried to grab Kanon, but I couldn't reach him. He had walked too far forward. Kanon threw the chakram in his right hand into a curved path straight into Papa Ursa's left eye. The spin the chakram gained in its flight gave it the power to dig into Papa Ursa's eye socket. Kanon was now anchored to Papa Ursa. I wanted to slap myself. "Kanon...that wasn't what I meant."

Kanon wasn't able to answer. The pain of having a circular sword lodged in his eye had caused Papa Ursa to stand up. Kanon had been pulled away. Somehow, the boy found himself a way to run up Papa Ursa's body and onto his face. It was as if gravity didn't apply to Kanon. He held his remaining chakram up and buried it into Papa Ursa's right eye. Mama Ursa guided Baby Ursa One and Baby Ursa Two into the forest. Together, they disappeared into the shadows. Kanon was struggling to stay on Papa Ursa's face. Kanon's chakrams had him anchored, but that didn't stop Papa Ursa from frantically jerking back and forth to shake the pest on his head off. Kanon found it difficult to keep a steady foothold on Papa Ursa's face, so he decided to use one of his chakrams as a handlebar. Even then, Kanon had difficulties keeping a tight grip on his wedged weapon.

"Get Goodwitch!" I ordered Rachel before unsheathing Maelstrom.

"What? No!" Rachel scowled. She put herself into a fighting stance. "I'm not cowering away from this fight."

"Rachel, go now! That's an order." I pushed Rachel to the floor with one hand. "That was one of my hands! How well do you think you would have done against that Ursa?"

Rachel jumped to her feet. She grimaced and scanned my body. "Who do you think you are?"

To intimidate Rachel, I took a sudden step forward. My face was strained with anger. Rachel tripped when walking back and fell to the floor again. "I'm your leader, that's who I am, and I'm sending my worst fighter to get someone who's better than all of us put together." I narrowed my eyes. "You won't be proving anything by getting yourself killed."

Rachel jumped up again. "I'll prove to you that I can fight with both my blades!"

My face fell into a disciplinary expression. "Are you telling me you haven't been practicing with just one blade?"

"Of course I haven't! Mr. Leader, you are a sucky leader."

"How am I supposed to lead a team who spends no time with each other? Even when I give orders you refuse to follow them. I'll admit, this team is a disgrace, I'm not pretending to be perfect either, but you need to -"

"-how come you never scream at Velvet or Kanon in a fight, huh?" Rachel interrupted. "Why am I always the one in your sights during combat?"

"Velvet is fast and smart enough not to get mauled by an Ursa, and Kanon has a Kung-Fu grip. He'll be alright. The guy knows Tae-Kwon-Doe and Boxing. You, on the other hand, have shown me you have mastered nothing but the art of stubbornness!"

"Oh, write that line in a book, why don't you!" Rachel put two fingers to her forehead. "You're the leading cause of my headaches, you know that? I'm not cowering out of this fight! I'm right and you're wrong about this. If anyone's being a coward, it's gonna be Velvet. Oh wait," Rachel put her arms up, pointing to the world around her, "she's not even here!"

"Because. Velvet. Follows. Orders." I stepped closer to Rachel with each word until I was touching her, a finger pointed down and a nasty mask on my face. Rachel became frightened and scared. She didn't look angry anymore. "You should too."

"Guys, a little help?" Kanon was still riding Papa Ursa's skull. He was holding one of his implanted chakram like his life depended on...let's just say he was holding it _very_ hard.

Papa Ursa became aggravated enough to claw at his own face. Kanon had to swiftly dodge each claw as it came down on him. He didn't know if his next dodge would land him straight under the other claw or not. How was Kanon staying on Papa Ursa's face? Papa Ursa wasn't looking straight up. Where Kanon's boots attached to the monster's face? I hadn't expected him to stay on Papa Ursa's face for _this_ long.

"Kanon, shield yourself!" I shouted.

The Ursa was foolish. Its weak spot was its belly. Standing on two legs, clawing at its own face, Papa Ursa was exposing his weak spot to the whole world. I gripped Maelstrom, spun around, and lobbed it into Papa Ursa's stomach. He roared, shattering my ears, and dropped on all fours. Kanon was flung into the forest. The strings attaching him to his weapons snapped loudly, destroying what was left of my eardrums. I covered my ears with my hands. "What the shit! That was loud!"

Maelstrom read my mind. It split apart, shoving the Ursa's flesh aside, and began pouring flame and bullets up the monster's esophagus and down its intestines. Papa Ursa screamed silently. He was loud, but I couldn't hear him. Papa Ursa fell to the ground, pushing Maelstrom through its body. The tip of my weapon poked out of the monster's hairy, evaporating back. I was relieved once my hearing returned to me. If only Rachel wasn't ranting...

"Velvet bailed on us!" Rachel said. "She ran right when things went down."

"No she didn't." I held my head. It felt like someone was crushing it with two bricks. "Velvet wouldn't abandon us because she knows we value her too much. She wouldn't leave us knowing she'll kill us." I turned to Rachel. "I ordered her to get Goodwitch."

"Well, she's taking her sweat time."

"What's your problem? Velvet and Kanon are behaving and taking my orders. Why are you the one who thinks you're my equal?"

"We are _not_ equals. I'm way higher than you." Rachel held her horizontal hand up above her head.

"Whatever, you know what," I took my glass jar out of my backpack and handed it to Rachel with a large hint of rudeness, "you can fill this jar with red sap for me. I know you think it's pointless, but you're the only one who knows how to do it, and I need to get our weapons out of the Ursa. When we get back I'm going to have a little xhat with Professor Peach about how Ursa-infested this forest is. This place isn't safe." Before Rachel left, I called her name once more. "Oh, and find out how Kanon stayed on that Ursa's face for so long. If it's his semblance, perfect. If it's his boots, ask him to get me a pair, and tell him to not lose his."

Rachel stuck her tongue out at me. "If you would have let me fight I could have shown you that I know how to take care of myself with both my blades." Rachel grabbed her weapon, just a hilt, spun it around, and made the blades slip out from each side. Rachel put one of the blades to my neck. "I did all that without hurting myself, _Daddy_, you don't have to worry." Rachel pushed forward. I had to tilt my head back.

"Kill me, Rachel. Get yourself expelled and arrested, _little Rachel_."

A tear dropped out of Rachel's sad right eye. The blades of her sword slid back into their hiding holes. Rachel leaned forward and gave me a hug. _Did Rachel had Daddy issues?_

"What...are you doing?" I asked.

Rachel didn't respond. "No one believed me when I said I could use my sword. They told me I'll stab myself, but they were wrong. I've proved it to hundreds of people I can do it, but the only person I really cared about was Daddy. I proved it to him and because of that he let me become a huntress. But I'm sick of proving it to people, okay! I just..." Rachel sobbed. "...I just want you to believe me."

I saw Rachel in a new way. No wonder she was so stubborn about her weapon. "Look, I'm not saying you can't fight with both of the blades, I just want you to learn how to fight with just one."

"Oh...okay." Rachel held me, silent. She waited for her tears to disappear. "You know, you're the only guy in this school who doesn't have a crush on me. It's kind of a turn on." Rachel looked up and put a finger to my lips. I wished I hadn't just watched; she then moved her finger and kissed me.

I pushed Rachel off. "What the..._Rachel?_ Is it _that_ time of the month? Do you know how bipolar you're being right now?"

Rachel, serious, said, "I don't think you're fit to be leader."

"And I think you've gone crazy!" I shook my head, trying to get the taste of Rachel's tongue out of my mouth. "Collect the bloody sap and heal Kanon if he's hurt. Uh!"

"Isaac, you're heading to a huge Ursa that doesn't look dead to me. I just wanted to give you your final kiss before you die."

"Don't care, excuses excuses, and fuck _right_ off!" I said as I turned my back to Rachel. Why was she acting this way? Wasn't she dating Kanon? She was going to break his heart. "Get the sap!"

I reached Maelstrom. Rachel's bright red head disappeared into the rain of petals and maze of dark tree trunks. Rachel had acted very nervous when she kissed me. Had she had a crush on me this entire time? I turned to Maelstrom. I didn't know how I was going to dig it out. It wasn't going to be fun pulling a sword out of a monster by its blade either. I turned to where Rachel had disappeared. If that had been her way of telling me she used to have a crush on me, then I would have applauded Kanon for catching the easiest fish in the sea. I shook my head and concentrated on getting my sword back. "_Women_."


	16. Being A Leader

**[Chapter 16 – Being A Leader]**

It was the morning of the next day. I had woken up my team and ordered them to stand in line. Sleepy, swaying, and unconscious, my team had followed my orders. The three of them were now looking at me, curious and annoyed. Velvet was the only one who seemed alert.

"There have been many complaints that I haven't been _leading_," I began, "and that I'm the worst leader ever. Well, that's changing today. I've been holding myself back. No more. I am going to lead by the only way I know how to." I opened my scroll and read off the schedule I had written the night before. "We have a schedule during the weekdays. At 0600 hours we will all wake up, prepare for classes, and remake our beds. We will have enough time to eat breakfast."

"6 o'clock!" Kanon complained. "Come on!"

I ignored Kanon. "At 0800 hours we will all head to our classes. During lunchtime we will eat _together_," I turned to Velvet. She frowned and turned away, "and we will act like a _unified_ team."

"This is bull crap." Kanon whispered to Rachel.

"Between 1600 hours and 1800 hours we will practice, _all together_."

"Two hours of practice!" Rachel protested. "We know how to fight!"

"But. Not. As. A. Team." I said, turning to Rachel. "Between 1800 hours and 1900 hours we will have dinner, and will talk to other teams. Yes, we need to make friends in this school, or else people will turn on us. Between 1900 hours and 2100 hours you will have free time. Everyone is to report back here at 2100 hours. For two hours, everyone will be studying and completing homework if you haven't done so already in the free time you've been allocated. At 2300 hours is lights out, and the cycle continues."

"You're right Kanon." Rachel said to Kanon. "This is bull crap."

I raised my voice. "That's not it. It has come to my attention there is a relationship in the team. From now on all forms of affection are not to be displayed during school hours, during practice, or during working hours."

"Asshole." Rachel spat.

"Oh, and," I brought out a metal sphere from my pocket. It was a scanner that detected certain materials and substances in a room. It was able to see through thick walls of concrete and accurately identify over a million things. Ozpin had given it to me after I had told him a teammate of mine had illegal items in his possession. Instead of reporting the situation to the police, Ozpin had allowed me to correct the issue. "Every day, at 2100 hours, the room will be scanned for alcohol, narcotics, and other disallowed items. Every weekend the room will be _physically_ inspected for items such as pornographic magazines."

Rachel and Velvet scowled at me.

"Why are you doing this?" Rachel asked.

"You wanted me to lead, didn't you?" I smiled. "You already know drugs, alcohol, and porn are not allowed in this school. If any of you are caught with them, I get in trouble. If you don't have drugs, alcohol, or porn hidden in your things then you don't have to worry."

"But you're still going to go through our stuff!"

"Not me," I pointed at the robot, "the scanner. Everyone will open their luggage, cabinets, and drawers, we all step out, and the scanner uses visual recognition to detect disallowed items. It can see through concrete, so I don't suggest hiding whatever you think is worth hiding."

"No one in this room, except for you most likely, has brought any of those things in here!" Rachel raised a finger to me.

Kanon put his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "Rachel, don't go against him."

Rachel looked to Kanon with a scowling face and burning eyes. "Don't tell me-"

"-Rache, it was before we were-"

"-Ew! You had porn!"

"And alcohol." I added with a smirk.

"And..." Kanon scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "...maybe some prescription medication that wasn't mine."

"Oh my goodness!" Rachel fell onto her bed. She held her head and shook it.

"In combat we will use the strategies we have rehearsed during practice. If anyone has any spontaneous ideas you come to me first. During the weekends everyone can go into town, but you _must_ bring at least one teammate along. Also, I've talked to Ozpin and we have new class schedules. Everyone now has at least one other person in this room in every class."

"Oh, come on Isaac!" Kanon threw his arms up in disapproval. "I was starting to make some good friends in my classes."

"So make new ones." I scowled at Kanon. He had been the main reason these orders were written, and he lacked enough respect to complain about them now?

"Wait..." Rachel's eyes widened. "It's Saturday! That means we don't have to do any of the crap you just told us!"

"But it also means today is Inspection Day. Everyone start opening yours bags and drawers, _now_."

* * *

Ten minutes had passed. The floating metal sphere with the golden eyeball finished flying around the room and returned to my hand. I allowed me team to enter the dorm and return their possessions to their normal places. The scanner processed everything it had just seen, then gave me a report on a floating, holographic screen; _no illegal possessions, some disallowed possessions._ I looked through the list of disallowed objects. It included a concealable combat knife, a police pistol, and a stun gun. I ignored those items, knowing they were mine.

I fast-forwarded through the video the scanner had captured. Kanon's drawer caught my eye; inside one of his drawers, intended to hold clothes, was a large pile of letters written on various colors of paper. The handwriting was neat, precise, and ordinary for some, evil and messy for others, and nearly like type-writing for the rest. Each letter seemed to have been written by a different person. What were these letters for?

"Hey Kanon." I said. "Get over here."

Kanon escaped the noisy dorm room and closed the door behind him, killing the sound. Kanon whispered. "Bro, I already told you I got rid of everything."

"I don't care about that. I'm not even mad at you about it anymore. I just want to know what all those letters are doing in your drawer."

"Uhm." Kanon stepped back. "Those are...have you ever heard the saying 'writing angry letters and not sending them makes you calm'?"

"It's more of advice than a saying, but go on."

"That's what I do. Angry letters...but...sometimes I _do_ send them just for people to get the point."

I pointed at the hologram image being projected by the scanner. "Those are _a lot_ of letters."

"Dude, don't worry. You're violent. You should do it too."

"Those are _a lot _of letters, Kanon."

"I know. There's a lot of people out there who need things to be said to them. Look, if you want, I can throw them away."

I raised a shaking hand to Kanon's face. "No, you don't have to do that. I'm just surprised you like to write."

"Yeah." Kanon smiled. "I guess that does make a writer."

"Oh, one more thing." I turned off the scanner and stored it in my backpack. "Yesterday, how did you stay on that Ursa for so long?"

"It's my semblance, dude." Kanon touched his chest. "I can change how gravity affects me, but I can't do crazy stuff like walk on the ceiling or anything like that. I can do stuff like walk on walls for a little bit and stay on Ursa faces, but that's about it. Oh, and I can do backflips."

"Kanon, why haven't you ever told me this?"

"Because it's not as useful or as special as it sounds. I bet your semblance is way cooler."

"I don't have a semblance."

"Oh...then never mind."

I patted Kanon on the back. "You write. Do you happen to read as well?"

"Of course." Kanon smiled. "Do you think I'm just a bully? I'm like you, always researching monsters and all that stuff. I bet I know more about the Creatures of Grimm than you do."

"I hope so because we're about to be hit with a bunch of exams on them."

"Too bad for you then. I'm prepared. So is this all you wanted to talk about?"

"Yeah, go ahead and fix the room back up. Kanon, you've surprised me lately. I never knew you could be such an interesting teammate."

Nice Kanon smiled. "Hey, I had my head in my ass. Rachel pulled it out. Oh, and dude, I'm sorry for treating your girl like an asshole the first few weeks."

"My...girl?" I raised an eyebrow to Kanon.

"You know, Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina. The love of your life. Your Juliet. Your Capulet."

"Yes, Kanon, I know. I accept your apology. Now fix up your stuff."

* * *

"That's harsh!" Yang screamed. "Inspections, curfews, schedules...this isn't the military!"

I lost my appetite for my pancakes. I dropped my fork and looked up at Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. Blake was sitting beside me, reading an unmarked book. I was now in the cafeteria, eating breakfast, telling Team RWBY about the new changes I had made to my team.

"Isaac's using his head for once." Weiss uttered. "Strictness leads to compliance."

"Well, I think it's terrible!" Yang stood up and leaned towards me. She wasn't angry or offended, just surprised. "No romance! No privacy! Two hours of practice!"

"I came from a military combat school." I stood up to meet Yang's height. "I have it worse than everyone here. This place has more freedom than people appreciate. I didn't graduate from my old school, I _survived _it. Everyone who's gone to my old school usually has the same fighting style, because it isn't meant for hunters and huntresses in training, it's meant for soldiers. But it was the only place I could go to."

"You're life..." Yang sank into her chair. "...seems terrible."

"Well, I think its okay that Isaac's bringing his team together." Ruby ushered. "I'm guessing this schedule thingy is temporary, right? It's just to make people behave?"

"No, it's permanent," I sat down, "until I find a better system. My team is a mess. I'm just trying to glue it together. Maybe once it's finally a unit I'll stop pressuring them."

"So, so terrible." Yang whispered.

We all sat in silence, eating. Blake continued to read her book. Now that everyone was done talking she was able to read three times faster. Her eyes darted across the page like a cheetah. I remembered how Blake was a Faunus.

"So..." Yang restarted the conversation. "...Isaac, do you listen to The Achieve Men?"


	17. The Bunny's Warmth

**TheRadioShower: Some of you should check if you have skipped a chapter. Also, I update some chapters after posting them, so if you're one of the few people who read the chapters right after they have been posted, and find mistakes, just know I fix most of those mistakes after a few minutes.**

* * *

**[Chapter 17 – The Bunny's Warmth]**

_ Team MVRK? Velvet Scarlatina; quick and clever, but antisocial and mute. Needs friend. Faunus, so friends are hard to get. If she has the greatest strategy in the world I wouldn't know because she keeps everything to herself. Rachel Hollows; prideful, stubborn, refuses to drop arguments, always thinks she's right. Thinks I shouldn't be leader, as well. Secretly likes me? Kanon Strangeworth; strong, anti-gravity, discriminatory, bully. Can't be in the same room with Velvet for too long without treating her badly. How in the world has this team come together?_

I smiled to myself. Just one week after employing a schedule system, my team had unified. We had spent all five weekdays together, joking around, getting to know each other, making-out in Kanon and Rachel's case. I had lifted the no-romance rule on Tuesday after Kanon and Rachel skipped class to be with each other. They had used the excuse _'but it isn't in class'_ to touché me. Velvet had sat with us while we ate, always sat next to me during the classes we had shared, and talked back when someone had said something to her, but she had still remained antisocial. She hadn't contributed to any conversations or talked about herself like the rest of us. She remained isolated.

Velvet had imprisoned everyone on the island far, far away from her. She had been on the mainland, just looking at her knees.

Once the weekend hit Velvet disappeared. It was Sunday, a day with no inspections or schedules to follow. Everyone was free. I was in a tall hallway, leaning against the wall, starring up at the intricate designs of the arching pillars holding the ceiling up. I was glad the group had come together. If it hadn't then Ozpin would have split us up into separate teams. Most teams were made up of great friends this far into the year, so being forced to switch out one of their _besties_ with someone they didn't know would make for a difficult relationship.

"Stop!" Velvet yelled. "Cardin, please stop. It's not like that!"

"Come on bun-bun, I caught you looking at his picture. It's as transparent as glass; you're in love with him." Cardin Winchester responded.

The two were at the end of the hallway, standing at the center of a three-way intersection.

Velvet dropped to her knees. She was defeated. "It's not like that. Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Get up!" Cardin Winchester yelled. He grabbed Velvet's bunny ears and pulled her up. She screamed quietly from the pain.

I was fed up with just watching. I had believed Velvet was capable of defending herself, capable of standing up to a bully. _Wrong_. I unsheathed Maelstrom. It split its blade apart and summoned the gun barrel from its hilt. Maelstrom continued to read my mind and coughed up flames from the holes in the gun barrel out onto the blade, heating the metal up. Winchester had a scorching sword to the back of his neck before he even noticed me.

"Let go of her ears, _now_!" I pushed the tip of my burning sword against Winchester's spine. "Or I'll make sure you won't be able to move a muscle below your head for the rest of your life, _ever_!"

"Is-saac...this isn't what it looks like." Winchester released Velvet and raised his arms. Velvet fell to the floor. Winchester turned around and faced me. "She was looking at this little picture of you. I was gonna' tell you but you obviously already know now. I'm helping you out buddy."

"I told you to stay away from her!"

"Consider it a favor." Winchester tilted his head up as I pushed my sword harder against his neck. The heat of the blade made him grimace.

"Spying on a teammate of mine to find out if she has a crush on me isn't a favor." I narrowed my eyes on Winchester.

"Isaac..." Winchester choked. I stopped pressing too hard on his neck so he could speak. "...sometimes I wish you would have chosen the black bishop piece. I could have used you so well."

"And I'm glad I didn't." I spat. If I would have chosen the black bishop piece Velvet would have been on Winchester's team. It would have been a bad four years for her. I thought of all the things Winchester would have done to her. I thought too much.

Winchester had summoned his mace while I was distracted. He pushed my sword away with the shaft of his weapon. His mace had long, dangerous flanges. Winchester was obviously compensating for something with them. After pushing my weapon aside Winchester aimed a strike to my head, but I blocked it quicker than he delivered it. We glared at each other, stuck in an endless block. Maelstrom sensed the urgency of the moment and vomited long flames into all directions but mine. Winchester leaned back to avoid the flames growing towards his face.

"These flames can become thirty feet long with the fuel I have right now," I smirked, "and a hundred feet long with enough fuel and some dust. Do really want to test me?"

The fire leaned closer to Winchester's head. He forfeited from the block with an angry mask burned into his face. He backed away and tried to walk. If Velvet wouldn't have grabbed my hand, Winchester wouldn't have been getting away. Before leaving, Winchester shrank his mace back to pocket size and turned to me.

"I'm leaving because I don't want my mace to melt." Winchester's excuse was. "I need my baby for a rematch duel I'm about to have with that pushover-turned-beast Juane Arc. He should be an actual fight this time around."

"I'm going to break your legs if you ever come close to Velvet _ever again_, you hear me?" I shouted at Winchester. He made a scared face before turning around and disappearing into a different hallway. His loud steps echoed thought the hall, reminding me he was still there and that I could have decided to chase after him at any time. After Winchester was gone I picked up Velvet as if she were my bride and carried her throughout the long journey to our room. She didn't mind being carried. Holding me tight, starring sadly at my chest, thinking...Velvet looked very cute. She was reluctant to let go of me when I tried to place her on her bed. Velvet sat upright once she finally let go.

"Why didn't you tell me you were still being bullied?" I asked Velvet. She refused to return eye contact. Velvet was always doing this, _always_. It was beginning to annoy me. Gently, I put my hand on her cheek and turned her head to me. Once we met eyes...she began to cry. I sat next to Velvet and embraced her, guilty. "It's alright. I'm going to make sure Winchester doesn't hurt you anymore. Velvet, you need to speak up about these things. You make it pretty damn hard for me to tell if you're okay. You barely talk to me. This has to stop. You _need_ to talk. What Winchester has been doing to you is cruel and I'm really tempted to break his legs like I said I was going to. Why haven't you told me?"

Velvet remained still and silent. Her bunny ears had been droopy while I carried her. Now they slowly straightened out in tiny twitches.

"I have a crush on you Isaac." Velvet whispered. "You already know. I want to remind you."

I wanted to roll my eyes, throw my arms up, and leave the room. Velvet responded to me with _this_? Velvet could have told me if there were any more bullies tormenting her, she could have told me what Winchester had been doing to her. There were so many things she could have told me. Yet, she had decided to tell me something I already knew. I had wanted to keep romance out of the conversation, but that couldn't be done now without hurting Velvet's feelings.

"If it means anything, I can't stop thinking about you." Velvet looked up at me when I said that. The water in her eyes made them shine like diamonds. "Velvet...I had a crush on you since the first day...but now I feel like it's more than a crush. I'm sick of all this distance between us. _Sick_. I want to be with you. It's been killing me, not having the guts to ask you out on a date. I want to talk to you about things other than bullies and your antisocial-ness...but when I look at you I just don't know what to say. Giving orders to you is the only way I can talk to you without blushing. That's why we barely talk, because you're secluded and I'm shy. I want that to change that."

Velvet was having trouble speaking. She didn't want to speak any further. She didn't want to end the conversation either. Velvet dried her eyes with her sleeve. Even without water in them, Velvet's eyes still sparkled. Velvet's ears were completely raised now; she was happy. "You...have a crush on me back?"

"I haven't told you?"

Velvet shook her head. "You once told me you _'liked me'_, but nothing about a crush."

"Is there a difference?" I asked with a smile, confused.

Velvet returned my smile. Still smiling, she bit her lip and gently pushed me against the bed. She then lied on top of my body. Her chin was on my chest. She was looking up at me with her sparkling eyes, curious to how I would react. I put my arms around her, and she put hers around my neck.

"Hey, invite me to dinner first, why don't you?" I joked.

"We've been at _five_ dinners together already." Velvet said with a smile. Her smile faded. She gave me a serious face. "You have a crush on me. I'm glad." Velvet rested her head on my chest. She put her hands on the front of my shoulders. Her soft ears tickled my face. Velvet was breathing strongly, her chest constantly expanding and retracting, causing her ears to melodically scrape against my face. _Backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards. Left and right and left and right._ I enjoyed the feeling of Velvet's bunny ears brushing my face. They were soft, gentle, and smelled good, like a flower. "Thank you for being my savior. My ears are that monster's favorite toy. And to believe _he's_ the one whom I've spoken to the most this year." Velvet raised her head and returned eye contact. Water was back in her eyes, making them sparkle brightly again. Was it me, or where they really sparkling that much? "I'm nervous and uncomfortable."

"Why?"

"This is strange, touching you, crying on you."

"It's not anything new. Remember the library a few weeks back?"

"But this time..." Velvet smiled. Water was pushed off her face. "...this time I know you have a crush on me."

"Am I really that hard to understand? I've tried to tell you I've had a crush on you. If you didn't catch that, maybe I should go ahead and tell Rachel she's creepy and tell Winchester I'm really going to break his legs."

Velvet frowned. "Please don't hurt him."

"_He. Hurt. You._"

"Please, Isaac."

I remained silent. Velvet couldn't live knowing she caused someone to be badly hurt. "Fine. His legs are safe...for now, but don't blame me if someone else breaks his legs. That guy has _a lot_ of enemies."

"He's just a psychopath who binges on the suffering of others. Ignore him."

"Like you've been doing? How's that gone for you?"

Velvet didn't reply for a while. "This moment was about us. Why is it about Cardin now?"

"Because I'm not going to be happy until he leaves you alone."

"_You're_ protective." Velvet's blush brightened.

"Why didn't you tell me he was still bullying you after the last time we talked?"

"I tried..." Velvet rested her head on my chest. She pulled her arms away from my neck. "I wish you were a Faunus."

My eyes widened. Velvet had just realized I had strong feelings for her, and now she was rejecting me? "What? Why?"

"Dad doesn't like humans, especially _boy_ humans." Velvet's ears drooped off my face. She was sad again. "It's a Faunus thing."

"Then I'll wear a pair of cat ears for the rest of my life to fool him." That comment made Velvet giggle. "I'm not like Winchester. Those people make the human race seem savage. Its people like him who make the Faunus hate us. It's people like him who push the White Fang to commit crimes against us."

"Don't talk about the White Fang."

"Sorry." I pulled Velvet farther up my body so I could feel her ears brush my face again. I realized that if it weren't for people like Winchester, Uncle would have been safe. I wouldn't have been in Vale, or rich...but I would have been with family. But...that also means I wouldn't have been with Velvet. "This is nice, actually _speaking_ with you about stuff other that the normal stuff."

Velvet stayed silent for a long time. The next time she moved was to grab my head. She looked up, pulled herself farther up my body so her head was above mine, then looked down at me. Either accidentally or purposely, Velvet's boobs were now very close to my face. Velvet continued looking at me, smiling with both her lips and her eyes. She wanted a kiss. I sat up and pulled the girl close. Our noses were touching. Before I surrendered my lips to her I gently kissed one of Velvet's fuzzy ears, then her soft forehead, and then her smooth nose. Then our lips finally met. The first kiss was short. We only touched lips. No tongue. Velvet pulled away, looked at me seriously, then took her hands off my shoulders and put her arms around my neck. At first I thought she wanted another kiss, but instead of kissing me Velvet put her head beside mine.

She kissed my ear before whispering, "Kissing you doesn't satisfy me."

_Oh crap._

"Velvet, uh..." I whispered into her ear. My face had been red since the conversation became romantic. Now it was on fire. "...let's take it slow."

Velvet giggled. "Not like _that_. We should have our own thing, our own way of kissing."

"Like...like what?"**  
**


	18. Spinning A Cylinder

**[Chapter 18 – Spinning A Cylinder]**

Velvet and I had spent all our time together during the days after our first kiss. We had been excessive with it, never leaving each other's side. I had skipped a few classes so I could sneak into whichever room Velvet was studying in. My urge to protect her had become so much stronger after the kiss. I had _needed_ to be with her. We had eaten together, walked together, and even slept in the same bed. Bullies who routinely tormented Velvet like Cardin had turned away, offended, whenever they had seen me. A few students had called me a _'Faunus Lover' _as if it were an insult. Everyone had given us names; _the Faunus Lover, the Human Lover, the Interspecies Couple, the Freaks_.

My favorite nicknames had been the ones dealing with equality. Unfortunately, _'Equality Lovers' _and _'Equality Fighters'_ were the only respectable nicknames that had been created with this in mind.

Many Human friendships had been severed on my behalf. As the amount of time I spent with Velvet had increased, the number of Humans calling me a friend had decreased. Every Human friend I lost had been replaced by a new Faunus one, however. Yet, there had been some Faunus who despised Humans, so Velvet had also lost some friendships. It had been surprising to know she actually had friendships, despite how secluded she had acted. Overall, we both had made Human and Faunus enemies, but we had also gained a lot of Faunus friends. A few Faunus had believed I had stolen their women.

Was a Faunus/Human relationship really this uncommon? Then again, most Humans hated the Faunus like it was stylish.

Velvet and I had drawn a thick line between love and sex. We had decided to stay on the 'Love' side. We intended to keep it that way. We had kissed very rarely, unless our 'secret' way of kissing was included, and in that case we had kissed _constantly_. We hadn't spoken much either. Words had been scarce. I hadn't been able to enjoy the physical aspects of Velvet's affection, or the social ones for that matter, but I had been able to binge on the emotions Velvet had fed me. She had been happy for the first time since she began attending Beacon. I had been happy with her.

Now I was standing outside a female bathroom. Velvet was inside. I was protecting her. Thursday came faster than I thought it would. Soon the weekend would arrive. I would be able to take Velvet to town for a date, a real one, not just eating together in school or reading a book together in the library.

Two girls walked up to the bathroom's door, chatting, and saw me. They were from the legendary Team RWBY. So legendary, in fact, that I probably should have groveled in their presence. _Psyche_.

"Peeping tom!" Weiss said as she stomped her foot and crossed her arms afterwards. "Get out of here before I report you to a professor!"

Yang grabbed her shoulders. "If he was peeping, wouldn't you think he would be _inside_ the bathroom?"

Yang's comment brought a smile to my face. I added, "A man can't stand outside a bathroom without being called a pervert, can he?"

"You know what," Weiss scowled, "not even a _boy_ standing outside awkwardly can stop me from using the bathroom right now."

Weiss walked in, paying me no further attention.

"So..." Yang stood, fists on her hips, head tilted, mouth grinning. "...what? Are you the bouncer to the girl's bathroom now?"

"Yes, and you're too young to enter." I joked.

Yang rolled her eyes and looked up. "Oh brother, you wouldn't believe how many times I've been told that before. Me, a young, seventeen-year-old girl who's willing to do anything on the dance floor."

I shook my head. A laugh was ready to explode from my throat. "Alright, let's stop."

"Aww, but I was just beginning to have some fun. Let's play for a little longer."

"No, let's stop." I saw Velvet exit the bathroom. "It's been nice joking around with you anyways. See you later, Yang."

"See ya'." Yang rolled her eyes again and entered the bathroom.

"What was that about?" Velvet said as she held my hand.

"A friend of mine. We were just joking around."

"Hmm. Wonderful."

* * *

Kanon was standing at the uncovered window when I stepped into our dorm. He had been starring through the glass, observing the thunderstorm outside become violent. Horizontal raindrops crashed against the glass window like an endless flock of birds fleeing from an explosion. The storm made the room dark and gloomy. A sound of thunder penetrated the walls of the dormitories. Kanon flinched.

"You alright?" I asked as I placed Maelstrom on my bed.

"Yeah, yeah." Kanon answered, refusing to look away from the window.

"What, you don't like thunder?"

"Not really..." Kanon breathed deeply. "...not at all."

Kanon had been here, standing alone, starring out the window. Rachel wasn't with him. It was an odd sight because they barely left each other's side, just like Velvet and me.

"I..." Kanon's voice became higher-pitched. "...I got struck by lightning once. As a kid. Nobody was around to see it. Scars on my back remind me every day that my shirt caught on fire. If it wasn't raining hard when it happened my whole body would be burned."

It was strange for Kanon to speak without the level of slang and jargon he normally used. Maybe my articulate manner had been rubbing off on him. "Want to talk about it?"

"No. There's nothing to talk about."

An image of a younger version of Kanon crying in the mud with his back charred came to my mind. His back was black, leathery, filled with burnt pieces of cloth. He was calling for help but he wasn't answered. Drowning himself in the mud was an appealing option.

"Alright man, if you say so." I began unstrapping the armor I had worn for my duel this afternoon and placed each piece on the bed neatly.

"So," Kanon's voice came from behind, "you and that bunny girl together?"

"Yeah, actually. This is probably the first time we've been apart in a few days."

"You got feelings for her or what?"

Kanon's offended tone amused me. He had sounded like a kid who was refusing to admit he was a kid. "Yeah, I do. Actually, I don't know."

"_Want to talk about it?_"

"You're funny." I chuckled sarcastically. "_I know this ain't love_."

"What is it then?"

"_It's desperation_." I sang.

"What?"

I sighed. "You and me don't listen to the same music, it turns out."

"Oh, you're _real_ funny, aren't you, singing a song." Kanon must have been shaking his head in disapproval, as he became silent for a few seconds. "You're dodging me man. All I want to know is your feelings for that chick."

"Fine. I want to protect her, I don't want to give her space, and I think she's cute. Velvet's different, though. She sees me as a person who protects her, but she doesn't want to lose me. She never wants me to leave her. But I don't think that's out of love...I think it's because she's afraid she'll be hurt if I'm not around."

"Definitely doesn't sound like love."

"We're getting to know each other. We have some things in common. Maybe we can learn to love."

Kanon laughed. "_Learn to love?_ That's rich coming from you."

"But..." I stopped unstrapping armor from my limbs to concentrate. "...we barely talked before because...she was so beautiful to me that I didn't really know what to say. She felt the same. So our own lust for each other kept us apart, both of us too nervous to talk to each other."

"Didn't she, like, ignore you or something first time you spoke to her after initiation?"

"Yeah, but that was before I realized how attracted I was to her looks and personality."

"Hmm. I can't really say I can help you, man."

"You can't. Love is a complicated thing. We're together, that's for sure. We're willing to teach each other love."

"Damn man. You sound different."

I grinned and turned to Kanon. He had turned to me sometime during the conversation. "I've been reading some romance books with Velvet."

Kanon's left eyebrow rose. "Oh, so _that's _where you guys sneak off to in the night. Rachel thought you guys just fuck too much."

And the informal Kanon finally appeared.

"Yeah, well..." I scratched my nose. "...one day, I want to love her."

"Same goes for me and Rachel."

"Why did you guys hook up?"

"Rachel's sexy. I'm sexy. We just matched."

"Hmm. You know, there's not many people with your color of skin in this school."

"Same goes for the world."

"Yeah."

The conversation grew silent. We just starred at each other.

"Are you still taking drugs?" I had said it playfully, but I wanted to be taken seriously. "You seem too calm."

"I just don't like thunderstorms." Kanon crossed his arms. "And thanks for reminding me what you did. I still need to get you back for that."

"Maybe one day."

Awkward silence snuck into the room again. Kanon's expression turned from angry to worry.

"Hey," Kanon began, "have you ever played Revolver Roulette?"

"No, I haven't, why?"

Kanon uncrossed his arms, pulling a red revolver with a brown leather handle from his trench coat's inner pocket. He pressed a button on the handle, making the cylinder and barrel of the top break revolver fall forward and hang on a hinge. Kanon tilted the pistol, making bullets fall onto his palm. He put one bullet between his thumb and index finger and placed it inside the cylinder. Without looking, he spun the cylinder and pushed the weapon's front back into place.

"Let's play."

"Kanon, don't..."

Kanon put the weapon to his head, dropped the bullets onto the floor, and slowly pulled the trigger. I wanted to run at him, snatch the weapon out of his hand, but I knew he only had a small chance of death. It was only _one _bullet in a cylinder that had_ six_ chambers. The tension in my body released as I realized how pointless my concern would be. Kanon had enough aura to protect himself from one bullet anyways.

Kanon pulled the trigger. The weapon's cylinder rotated.

_Boom!_

The bullet was in the chamber! _It was in the bloody chamber!_ Kanon was now lying on the floor, hyperventilating. A crushed bullet was stuck in his head. I swiftly leaned down and pulled the crushed bullet out, leaving a dent the size of a small marble in his head. His aura blocked the bullet. Mostly. The dent began to bleed but it wasn't too serious. Kanon was now unconscious, probably suffering from a concussion caused by the impact of the crushed bullet. If Kanon hadn't been concentrating his aura on the muzzle pushed against his head then he wouldn't have survived.

The hole would be noticeable to anyone who felt the side of Kanon's head after I patched him up. Still, Kanon's hair could cover the small hole well, if the hair on that portion of his head would even grow back. Then again, the spikes of hair below the hole would probably do a great job of concealing it. I pulled a small crystal of fire dust out of my drawer and concentrated. Kanon's head was bleeding, but only from the small hole. Using the dust, I pushed the blood Kanon had lost back into the hole and created a clot. He would survive. Just...he was going to have a _very_ bad headache when he woke up.

_Kanon, why do you these things? What are you trying to prove?_

Kanon had probably wanted to see me in the position he was in now, lying on the floor unconscious with a hole in my head, when he tried to convince me to play Revolver Roulette. Too bad it was him who caught the bullet. Had I really pissed him off that much? And why hadn't the inspection robot discovered Kanon's firearm? Had he kept it on him this entire time? Or had he just recently purchased it? Maybe it was just the firearm form of Kanon's chakram. What else was Kanon hiding?


	19. Crushing Five 9mms

**[Chapter 19 – Crushing Five 9mms]**

Kanon finally woke up a couple hours after he had shot himself. I had stayed with him, cleaning my weapons on my bed while he slept. The storm had passed sometime while he was unconscious. A thick beam of motherly sunlight shined through the window, making the particles of dust dancing around the air visible. It was the last whisper the star got before night fell. The dust particles in the room returned to the realm of the invisible. Slowly, Kanon went through revival. He first opened his eyes at a leisurely speed. He then began breathing deeply until he found the strength to sit up on his bed. Kanon spoke his next words as if he had lost an innocent child's game; ironic, as he had nearly lost his life.

"Damn. I lost." Kanon felt for the hole in his skull. It took him some searching to find exactly where it was.

I stopped cleaning my police pistol, set it aside with my other weapons, and crossed my arms. With a scowl, I screamed at Kanon:

"Care to explain to me why you _shot_ yourself?"

"Hmm?" Kanon rubbed his eyes, yawned, then stretched his arms. "Relax bro. This isn't the first time I've played Revolver Roulette."

As much as I wanted to be angry at Kanon, what he said only made sense. Kanon's chakram transformed into a revolver so it was only natural that he played the game. Kanon came from the West, where revolvers, and in turn Revolver Roulette games, were popular. He probably played the game when he was bored. What concerned me wasn't the game, or Kanon's willingness to play it, but the bullet Kanon had shot at himself. It was intended to kill monsters. It was twelve times deadlier to people.

"It tests your aura, you know?" Kanon smirked. "It also shows you're not a pus-"

"-don't do it, _ever again_!"

"Make me!" Kanon's smirk fell. "That bullet was meant to take down Ursas and Beowolves and I was still able to block it."

"And not that well."

Kanon stayed still for a few seconds. Then he turned his head. Before I realized what he was looking at, Kanon bolted forwards and snatched the police pistol lying beside me. I threw a punch that was too late to stop the boy from grabbing the weapon. After my punch failed I lifted up. Kanon threw a punch of his own and blew me to the ground. All I could do was watch, frustrated and sore. I didn't care for Kanon's health anymore.

"What is this, nine millimeter?" Kanon studied the black pistol in his hands. He scanned both sides, the handle, and peeked into the muzzle. "This is the pistol that got us kicked out of that club!" Kanon turned to me with a grimace. He had seen Junior's goons throw something at my face when we got kicked out of the club. He hadn't realized it was my pistol. "Thanks for reminding me I got to get you back for that."

Without waiting for my reply Kanon pushed the muzzle of my pistol against his head. Kanon cocked the weapon and closed his eyes. The concentrated look on his face told me he was serious. Kanon was already exhausted from the bullet he had already deflected. His aura was already expended. Most, if not all, of his aura had been used to block the powerful bullet shot from his revolver. Now he was ready to shoot himself _again_ with very little aura. This time Kanon wouldn't survive.

_Why the...why do I keep that thing loaded?_

Kanon pulled the trigger, five times quick, causing five shockwaves of thunder to shake the room. My ears popped. My vision blurred. I was disoriented. The ringing in my ear that I last had in the Forest of Forever Fall returned. It took half a minute for my vision and hearing to finally come back to me.

Kanon was alright. He was _al-the-freaking-right_! He was exhausted, hyperventilating, and resting against a drawer behind him, but he was alright. Five crushed bullets were scattered around the spot where Kanon had been standing before. Bewilderment overcame every nerve in my body and every brain cell in my skull. Kanon had blocked _five_ nine millimeter bullets with a sliver of aura. It wasn't real. It wasn't possible.

"How did you..." I tried to ask, before my mouth couldn't move.

"I-I...I..." Kanon couldn't speak because he was exhausted, not because he was shocked. He held his palm against his forehead. The pistol was still in his hands. "I've had a lot of practice. Lots of it. Back in town, the crew constantly try to prove who can take the most bullets in Bullethead. It's a game where you shoot yourself as many times as you can. Most guys, the real buff ones with all their aura in their hands, stop at two or three. That's enough to keep reputation up. I'm the only one with the balls to go further. But this," Kanon threw the pistol to the floor, "that's nothing."

"How many bullets can you take?"

"Just so I wouldn't get killed in my sleep by jealous players, I stepped away after being shot once, _just once_, in Revolver Roulette. I never played Bullethead because that _one_ bullet made me a celebrity. I didn't need any jealous people coming to kill me at night. The stunt got me pretty popular, and even got me recognized by Beacon. They saw I was also a pretty good fighter and invited me to their school. But...at my house, I was able to shoot an entire magazine of nines' into myself."

My eyes widened. I wouldn't have believed Kanon if he hadn't just shielded himself from five bullets with a sliver of aura. "How do you do it?"

Kanon laughed maniacally and pointed his face to the ceiling. He had a smirk on his face when he turned it back to me. "Everyone wants to know. _Everyone_. I'll tell you my secret; it has got to do with the concentration. I don't have any more aura than the buff guys I've beat in Revolver Roulette. But they make the mistake of trying to protect the entire part of the head their shooting at or, in the case of some fools, their entire head."

Realization hit me like a charging Ursa. People, ignorant people, had killed themselves in front of Kanon as part of a game. Yet, Kanon still walked around as if he had never experienced those deaths. Like a psychopath. My body shuddered. I shook my head and told myself what I was thinking was just speculation. Perhaps Kanon _was_ affected by the Revolver Roulette games he had played. Perhaps the trauma of playing Revolver Roulette was what caused Kanon to turn to drugs for relief. Perhaps that was why he was so insensitive, harsh, and just plain stupid; he was mentally scarred. Maybe not insane, but a little off. He couldn't think straight. No, no, that couldn't be it. I couldn't assume the worst.  
"Anyways," Kanon continued, "what I do is _concentrate_, not on my skull, not on the side of my head, not even on the muzzle, but on the _tip_ of the _bullet_. It takes Ursa balls do it, but bringing all your aura to half a centimeter of skull is enough to block however many bullets you want. Nobody does this." Kanon rolled his eyes. "Well, they do, but they end up failing like pus-"

"-answer me this; have people killed themselves in front of you?"

Kanon turned to me with curious eyes, but kept his rough face and disgusted expression.

"Sometimes. Most of the time the people I play with are guys who have tough aura and know how to use it. Or else they wouldn't play. It doesn't change me a bit. Seeing someone kill themselves in front of you isn't nearly as bad as killing a few people."

My heart stopped. Had Kanon implied he knew about my secret? Knew about my murders? No, no, he had just used it for the analogy. No one but Velvet, Blake, and Ozpin knew about my murders...then again, Velvet was the only one who was supposed to know. The fact three people knew a secret I had only told one of them disturbed me. My hands shook out of nervousness.

"Isaac, you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing. Forget it. Let's get out of her before people realize you've been shooting yourself."

Kanon smirked and held an arm into the air. "In that case, I need a hand."

Reluctantly, I stood and pulled Kanon up to his feet. We made our way to the door while grinning like lunatics.

"One day you'll learn from _me_ how to keep a bullet away from your brain." Kanon patted my back before opening the door and walking away.


	20. Feeling In Love

**[Chapter 20 – Feeling In Love]**

The doughnut shop was peaceful. It looked like a restaurant, with booths pushed against all the walls and a small kitchen at the center of the shop, which I first thought was a bar, serving doughnuts and other goodies. Each booth consisted of a table surrounded by a 'U' shaped, red-padded bench. The large windows on the outside wall of shop allowed orange sunlight and pedestrians' gazes to enter. Calm parents were suppressing the gentle excitement their kids were radiating out of anticipation of tasting a delicious treat. The unusually soft whispers of the people around us and the soothing music playing in the background made the shop an oasis from the noisy, scream-filled city outside. It smelled like cake and ice cream and doughnuts most of all.

Velvet grabbed my hand and dragged me to an empty booth. We sat on either side of the table, at the ends of the curved bench. We talked for half an hour about school. Velvet ate bagels and strawberry-filled, glazed doughnuts. I ate nothing but chocolate-frosted doughnuts with rainbow sprinkles. Both of us dressed nicely for the date; I wore a blazer, good jeans, and white shirt while Velvet wore a sleeveless, red shift dress. I realized that this was the first time I had seen Velvet wear something besides her school uniform and nightgown. She looked very nice.

The doughnut shop was a nice escape from the drama and the violence of Beacon. At least Kanon wasn't around to shoot himself.

"Hey, Isaac?" Velvet asked in a soft voice.

I snapped out of my thoughts. I had been daydreaming, swimming deep into my mind. With a guilty face I turned back to Velvet. "Sorry...I think a lot."

"Yeah." Velvet frowned. She didn't like the fact I daydreamed during our first real date. Yet, she remained kind and understanding. "Thinking is good, right?"

_You're the one telling me. If you don't even think it's right, then it isn't._

"No, it's not alright. This is our first date and I'm over here losing myself in my own head. You're the only thing I'm supposed to be thinking about."

"It's okay. Isaac, you have a lot to think about. You're a leader. It's understandable."

No matter how hard I tried to humble myself Velvet would turn it around and say I did nothing wrong. It was painful to hear, because I had done something wrong, but pushing Velvet would have only made it worse. She had forgiven me and that was all that mattered. Velvet and I sat, completely silent, starring into each other's eyes. We weren't completely reconciled. Velvet's lips were pursed. I turned away, not able to handle the guilt she was giving me.

"Isaac, did you hear what I said before?"

"You know I didn't."

"May I repeat it?"

"You don't need my permission."

"I don't want you to feel bad."

"Just _say_ it Velvet."

Velvet sat up and moved over so she wouldn't have to sit on the uncomfortable cushion she had compressed with her weight. I was ready to do the same, as the cushion under me sank even faster as I was heavier than Velvet. Velvet's following silence said she was waiting for me to restore eye contact with her before she would speak. When I looked at her she released a heavy, long sigh before saying:

"I was thinking about kids."

_Kids._ A meaningless word. Velvet was a Faunus, I was a Human. The cards did not match. We couldn't have kids. A conversation like this would have normally been brought up much further in our relationship if we would have been of the same species. Unfortunately, we were not, so it was only natural that this conversation was brought up now. What else was I supposed to say besides:

"Kids, yeah. I was just thinking about them too."

Velvet blushed and smiled. Had she misinterpreted what I meant? I had meant that I had thought of them seconds ago, not since we were together. How was Velvet supposed to know anyways? My answer was short and ambiguous, open to different interpretations. Correcting her would have only made the date worse. I had already made enough mistakes for the day.

"Really?" Velvet turned away. I hadn't lied, but I hadn't corrected her false beliefs afterwards, so it was as bad as a lie. It made me feel guilty. Velvet starred at the floor beside the table, twirling her hair, her face red like roses. "Uhm...do you know...if it's possible...for us?"

"To have kids?" I asked.

"Y-yeah." Velvet looked up at me with a small smile. Her head still faced down.

Although I already knew the answer, I paused for a minute so Velvet would assume I was thinking about it. More lies, more deception, more guilt. Maybe I should have just told Velvet I didn't need to think about it anymore because the answer was obvious. Still, I continued to think, just to comfort Velvet. My relationship was the first and only interspecies relationship I had heard of. There weren't any leads to the real answer of Velvet's question. The subject of Faunus breeding had only been covered very lightly in Science. When someone had asked 'how does a cat and a monkey make a bull', the professor answered with simply; 'yes'. The professor hadn't dwelled into the subject after that, even though many Humans, and even some Faunus, were curious about it.

Velvet was looking at me intently. Her eyes were glistening. Her mouth was open just a little, enough to make her image look just-that-much cuter. I didn't want to make that beautiful face frown.

"I think..." I paused and reworded my answer. "...I hope it's possible. But we should get to know each other and wait a few years before thinking about that. You're training to be a Huntress."

"That doesn't mean I'm forbidden from having kids. Do you see police officers and soldiers not having kids?"

"We are _both_ training. If we have a kid there will be no one at home to raise her."

_Her. I said Her, not It._

"I didn't say it's going to be easy." Velvet closed her mouth. She wanted to say something else, something important. Why didn't she say it? Instead, she decided to change her words. "I mean, _if_ it's going to..."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Maybe we can try one day, but..."

"But?"

I opened my eyes. Velvet was now in a shy position, her body turned away so I couldn't look directly at her. She was trying to hide her face from me. Although this wasn't the time to talk about this, I couldn't sever Velvet's hope by ending the conversation now. "I was planning to go back home after Beacon. There's not many Hunters there. I was the closest thing to a protector my small town had. Promises were made when I left. I intend to keep those promises."

"Oh, I see." Velvet wanted to drop her head, wanted to look away, but she didn't. She wanted to remain respectful. It made me feel guiltier for daydreaming before. "So our time is limited?"

"I was thinking I could take you with me."

Velvet blushed again. "I-I'd like that. But...my parents." Velvet shook her head. "No, you have to protect your own people. You shouldn't stay for me."

I wanted to grab Velvet's hand but the table was too long. "Velvet, I...like I said, I _was_ _planning_ to do it. Four years is a long time. Things can change. I'm not the only person from my town who's becoming a Hunter." I took out my tablet and placed it on the table. "I keep in touch with a lot of people. Most of the graduates of my old school are in the military now. Some, though, are at academies like Beacon. Most are planning to do the same thing as me. I think one less Hunter wouldn't hurt my old town."

_How much I wish that was true._

"Oh." Velvet smiled and turned her body back to me. I had successfully comforted her. Some of my guilt lifted off my shoulders. "So you fought monsters before?"

"Yeah. A few schoolmates and I found an abandoned water tower on top of a hill with a perfect view of the entire town. Well, maybe _found_ isn't the right word. Everyone could see the tower but no one cared about it. We claimed it for our own and turned it into a little headquarters. It was pretty cool. At night we would watch the town in shifts. We _slept_ in that tower. I didn't have much to do back then so I had a lot of free time during the day to sleep. So, usually, I would stay up all night and watch the town. Eventually the rest did the same, sleeping during the day and sacrificing their lives, so it ended up just being four guys watching over our hometown all night long, talking, joking, enjoying our town's affection." I grinned. "Boasting about our penises."

"What?" Velvet laughed and covered her mouth. Her face was red. Her body jerked back and forth from laughter. My grin grew wider.

"I, uh, was the youngest of the group, so..."

_Why did I just say that?_

"Yeah. I get what you're saying." Velvet continued giggling. She seemed unfazed by my confession. I guess she didn't care if I was small down there. I wasn't small now, but I was before. Thank goodness I hit my growth spurt.

"Whenever something crept into town, _anything_, two of us went after it. Most of the time those things _were_ monsters. So yeah, I did _kill_ monsters before. Hasn't everyone?"

Velvet shook her head. She was nearly recovered from her laughter. "Before Beacon I never set foot near a wild monster. I grew up in a mansion deep in the city. My parents paid for combat classes until I was eligible to enroll at Beacon."

"That would explain why you're fast but not deadly." I smiled at Velvet. We were beginning to learn more about each other. "Some Beacon scouts noticed us on the water tower one night. He saw us take down a pack of Beowolves like a unit, like a _team_. Since we were in combat school it made it easier for him to invite us to Beacon. One guy, Connor, denied the offer. He was a fourth year, and it was a couple months before graduation, and he was already going into the military. I think I was just a little, young first year when it happened, so I had a lot of time to decide. By my fourth and final year I was the last one staying up all night on that water tower." I sighed. "I really hope my town is okay."

"I do to. So...about your fighting style..."

"What about it?"

"It's...interesting. Well, I hate watching you fight because it's so simple. I've been trained by an excellent fighter who drilled a complicated fighting style into my head. Watching you fight is painful."

"All I do is hit weak spots. Maelstrom does the rest. It's not a good thing, relying on my weapon so much, but that's why I'm at Beacon. I'm not perfect. Aura isn't my best skill. With enough training I can learn how to take down a monster without a weapon. I guess that does mean finding an unarmed fighting style, but oh well. Why are we talking about this?"

"Just wanted to bring it up." Velvet's eyes shined. Her cute smile made my heart burst. My body became warm. "You're noble. Protecting your town..." Velvet dropped her head, but she kept her smile. "You've told me so much about yourself. I'm going to return the favor." Velvet inhaled and exhaled deeply, closed her eyes, and frowned. "You're wondering why I'm lonely."

"You're not lonely. I'm here. Rachel and Kanon are too. Well, Rachel at the least. You said it yourself; you have some friends in school besides us."

"They just know me or my parents, or..." Velvet shook her head. "...recognize my family name. They're not what I would call friends." Velvet put her palm to her forehead. "Please don't say anything. You won't comfort me. Whatever you might think will comfort me has already been tried. Millions and millions of times."

Why was Velvet talking like this? Was she about to bring up painful memories? Why wouldn't I try to comfort her after she brings up painful memories? I wanted to say 'okay'.

"The Scarlatina family is one of the few wealthy Faunus families in the world."

_That must have been difficult to achieve._

"All my schoolmates recognized me. I was a noticeable target. I couldn't hide. Everyone teased me, because my Mum and me were Rabbit Faunus."

_What does that have to do with anything? Why would someone pick on you for being a Rabbit Faunus? I understand Faunus, but why Rabbit Faunus? Why so specific?_

"Rabbit Faunus are notorious for becoming successful and famous prostitutes, erotic dancers, and porn stars."

_Oh, that makes sense, considering how cute they are._

"They called me a prostitute, whore, all those things. It hurt."

_Velvet, I want to hug you and protect you so much right now._

"And it was true."

_What. The. Actual. Fuck._

Velvet would have blushed, smiled, and giggled at my shocked face, but she was too melancholic. "Let me explain. Mum, she _was_ a porn star. My aunt _was_ a prostitute. I would get shown videos of my Mum all the time. People compared me to her. People started to believe I made porn too. They said no matter what I strived to be, no matter how hard I trained, no matter how much I proved myself..." Velvet began crying. Tears dropped from her shining eyes. "...that I'd just end up in a viral video sucking a guy's..." Velvet broke out into a full weep. She buried her face into her hands.

Automatically, I rose from my seat, sat next to Velvet, and wrapped my arms around her. She moved her hands to my arms and let her tears drop. The extent of Velvet's bullying has left her scarred. She secluded herself from others not because she didn't want their company, but because she didn't want to be mistaken as a piece of meat, a pleasure toy, a person they could mistreat. If Velvet looked like her mother that would mean some..._fans_...might have mistaken her for Mrs. Scarlatina. If people believed Velvet was a porn star or a prostitute, boys probably spoke to her in disgusting ways believing they would receive sex from the 'naughty bunny girl' they were drooling over. This explained why our relationship was so meaningful to Velvet; I was the first boy to be innocently interested in her. If I would have known about Velvet's mother, would I have treated her differently?

Was this why she ignored me the first time we met? Had she thought I was only being nice because I wanted a _cute, sexy, bunny girl _all to myself? Well, I did want a _cute, sexy, bunny girl_ all to myself, but not for the same reasons most of Velvet's 'admirers' had.

Velvet's Faunus heritage probably kept most perverts away. Bullies like Winchester saw her as a filthy Faunus ready to be bullied, not as a target for sexual harassment. If bullies like Winchester would have seen past Velvet's Faunus heritage to see the extremely enticing girl behind it...Velvet could have been raped by now.

"Isaac..." Velvet begun. "...I've been slapped on the ass, kissed against my will, and assholes have even shoved lien down my shirt and...and..."

"Shush, Velvet. I'm going to protect you from all that from now on."

"No! I need to learn how to defend myself." I was shocked by Velvet's reply. Why was she being so aggressive? Maybe she feared that I would leave her before people stopped harassing her. "I've put space between me and everyone else. That's protected me well so far."

We sat in silence. Velvet slowly calmed herself down. Her sobs became less frequent. Her tears dried. I held her tighter.

"Uhm...Velvet? Is...did you think I was...like _them_?"

Velvet pushed my arms away. I feared she was going to ask me to leave, but instead she leaned against my body. "You were so nice. You defended me for no reason. I didn't think you meant it." Velvet wiped off her final tears with her wrist.

_There was a reason. Kanon used you to insult me and Uncle. I couldn't let him get away with that._

"Of course I meant it. You..."

My feelings for Velvet weren't as blunt as I had believed. I had told Kanon I saw Velvet as just someone to protect. There was something more, something I hadn't seen before. I wanted to protect her because I didn't want to lose her, not because I thought she needed protection. Velvet was a person I wanted to genuinely love. A person I was willing to spend my life with. A person I would freeze time for just so we could be together forever. I didn't want Velvet to go away. Velvet's feelings for me weren't as blunt as I thought they were either. Instead of wanting me around just to protect her, fearing her bullies would return, Velvet wanted me around because I was the only boy who was innocently interested in her. I was the only boy who hadn't known about her family, and hadn't tried to sleep with her at first sight.

I was the only boy she could love.

A warm feeling overwhelmed my body.

"Velvet, I-I...I..." My stuttering made Velvet look at me curiously. She still looked sad. I wanted to say it, just scream _'I love you'_ to Velvet, but this was just our first date. "I think we should head back. The shuttle up to Beacon is going to leave soon."

Velvet starred at me, perfectly still. She was suspicious. I wouldn't have stuttered so much just to suggest leaving. Her eyes widened as she discovered what I really wanted to say. The thought made her smile. Velvet gave me a nod. "Okay Isaac. I'm ready to leave anyways." Velvet bit her lip before hugging me firmly. "I think I love you, Isaac."

My face reddened. "I think I love you too."

Velvet gave me one of our secret kisses before we both got up and left, holding hands.


	21. Releasing A Beast

**[Chapter 21 – Releasing A Beast]**

Velvet and I had decided to go for a walk to enjoy the last day of the weekend. We had visited the assembly hall, the ballroom hall, and the gardens. We had walked down the main avenue, the path leading from the sky dock to Beacon's entrance, until we reached the landing pads. Now, holding each other, we stood on the edge of the main landing pad. The strong wind pushed Velvet's hair back. The wind didn't bother me as much as it did her as my hair was shaved. Far below us were the roughish docks used by those who missed their airships, who couldn't afford an airship ride, or who just chose to travel to Beacon by boat rather than by aircraft. The docks never appealed to me because in order to ascend to Beacon from them I would have to transverse the long, zigzagging path carved into the cliff side. Tunnels had to be carved in the cliff to allow the path to ascend properly, as there had been cliff in the path's way. It was charming to look at, but most likely tiring to travel on.

Walking. Yeah, _no_. No walking.

I pointed towards the shore of Vale, where the body of water far below us touched the city. "I still don't know why Kanon parks his car there." It wasn't the best conversation starter, but it was something, and I needed to start a conversation in order to deliver my bad news to Velvet.

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Where else would he park it at? The river?"

"I'm just saying. If I had a car I would find a way to keep it close to me at all times."

Velvet giggled. "If you were rich you could purchase an airship with a car garage. Some students have their aircrafts parked around Beacon, you know. You just need permission."

_Velvet, I wasn't kidding when I said I had enough money to buy two airships._

"Isaac, we should go. The wind hurts."

"Then I'll kick the wind's ass." I joked as I started walking down the main avenue with Velvet.

"This is a nice spot." Velvet said when we returned to the gardens.

Six thin paths, three on each side, branched off the main avenue at right angles. Each path lead to a circle of stone ground holding a tall red tree and a few benches. Velvet and I took a seat on one of these benches. Water surrounded us, filling the gaps between the main avenue, the thin paths leading to the stone islands, and the circular path surrounding this inner pond. Giant columns, connected by arches, outlined this circular path. Another set of columns farther away outlined the entire pond, including the outer pond and the outer circular path that outlined it. A statue stood at the center of the inner pond, in the middle of the main avenue. We were in one big circle made of layers; the outer columns, the outer circular path, the outer pond, the inner columns, the inner circular path, the inner pond with the red tree islands, and the statue at the center. The main avenue cut through the center of it all. The columns never went over the main avenue. It was a sight that's beauty could only be truly described by a picture.

It was peaceful and calm. Most students stayed indoors. The more sophisticated ones came out for walks and hung out with their sophisticated friends. Some bored, loud, and obnoxious groups occasionally escaped the academy, but their own boredom lead them back into the school to find something more exciting to do. I inhaled, enjoying the fresh air of the quiet pond. Velvet and I made ourselves comfortable. We laid on the bench. My body, bent at an obtuse angle, served as a bed to Velvet. She laid against me with her eyes closed and dreamed. Maelstrom's scabbard was strapped to my back. I wanted to take it off, but I didn't feel safe without my weapon attached to me. Reluctantly, I surrendered my weapon to the floor to get more comfortable.

She gave me one of our secret kisses; using super speed, Velvet's ears brushed my lips once and then brushed them again on the way back to their original positions. It was a fast and nearly invisible gesture. It was something I felt, not something I saw. Velvet was able to give them to me as many times as she wanted without needing to worry about staring schoolmates. No professor had ever stopped her from kissing me this way, although they had forbidden her from using her lips on me. It was secret because it was invisible. After giving me a few of our secret kisses Velvet used her ears to tickle my neck and the bottom of my jaw. She enjoyed doing it. So did I. It was a warm feeling more meaningful to us than kissing. It was _our_ way of making-out.

Now was the perfect time to tell Velvet my bad news. I opened my mouth to speak, but Velvet beat me to it.

"You received an invitation to Beacon three years ago, correct?" Velvet asked. Her voice was low as she wasn't facing me. She was already a timid, mute, and quiet girl. Hearing her now was harder than ever. "Why didn't you come then?"

I sighed. I needed to finish this conversation before I could tell Velvet what I needed to say. "Why would I? I was barely trained. I would have been expelled in the first year, or killed by monsters. Only one guy accepted the offer right away, Nathan Matthias Samuels. He was a third year. He's still here on his final year." Memories of Nathan flooded my head. My conscious grew guilty. "I would meet up with him, but, uh, something's happened between us that's made meeting each other not a good idea."

"Untrained? That makes sense. But I thought you already knew how to fight before the invitation. The scout wouldn't have invited you without knowing if you could fight."

"_Neither did I _have a weapon-of-choice. Maelstrom was a graduation present. Before that I was using a standard issue sword."

"Oh."

"And I had to stay to defend my town. I was the youngest of the group, meaning I was able to stay for the longest."

"I see. So how's Nathan?"

"I don't know. We haven't talked since I...since I died."

"Oh, yeah. I'm guessing someone told him about you."

"Most likely. He keeps in touch with his parents. They probably told him."

"Hey, 'rick!" Winchester knew my nickname. How did he know my nickname? The answer was simple; he had spoken to Samuels.

_Shit! Winchester knows about the house fire!_

After releasing Velvet, I stood up. Velvet refused to release my hand so I couldn't walk forward. On the thin path to our red tree island was a group of five boys dressed in armor. Winchester, Thrush, Bronzewing, Lark...and Kanon. They were all standing, tall and strong and intimidatingly, blocking the only dry escape off the island. They were still and silent. Mischievous grins showed up on their faces. Only Kanon remained frowning.

"I was just talking about Samuels." I gave Winchester a playful 'you-and-me' gesture. "I'm guessing you two talked."

"Yeah. Funny thing is," Winchester stepped forward, "he has some beef with you. Said you owes him."

"Do I? Don't remember owing him anything."

"He's pissed at you, bro, so pissed he gave me some dirt on you."

Sarcastically, I threw my arms up in disapproval. Velvet grabbed my hand when it came back down. "Oh well. You got me. Sound the alarms. It's the end of the world as we know it. Now there's nothing I can do to defend myself. Everyone get into the TARDIS because this time isn't inhabitable anymore because the tiny speck of dirt Winchester's got on me has made this world toxic. Oh, no, oh no!"

"See, your old friend Nathan told me you owe him a car. A car he says he lent you when he left. A car he says you were supposed to bring with you to Beacon. He's not happy man, Isaac."

Samuel's car was with his parents. I gave the car to them right before I burned my house down. Uncle had disappeared; bringing a car to another kingdom had been the last of my worries. I couldn't have brought it anyways. I was dead.

"That's a conversation for me and Samuels." I said. "What are you doing here, Winchester?"

"The better question is, what are _you _doing here, Isaac Maverick? You're supposed to be dead. House fire, wasn't it?"

Winchester must have missed the news broadcast I had seen at the barber shop. Samuels must have told him everything. If it weren't this way than Winchester would have come to me with this sooner. Now, with the knowledge of my fake death, Winchester had leverage over my team. Winchester had most likely used the information about my death to persuade Kanon to side with him. That, or Kanon had always been planning to turn on me.

_Bastards, all three of them, Winchester, Samuels, and Kanon._

Schoolmates in the gardens noticed the confrontation I was involved in. They began to slowly walk back into the school, whispering, glancing at us. No one wanted to be around when the fighting began.

"You have options, 'rick, but only one of them is good."

"And what would that be, Winchester?"

"Kick Velvet off your team." Winchester's grin sank. "Kick her off your team and I won't tell Goodwitch about this."

_Goodwitch_. Ozpin could dodge regulations without guilt. Goodwitch couldn't. She would have me expelled from the school with Winchester's new discovery, and even arrested if she connected the dots and discovered I was responsible for the crashed cargo airship outside my town.

"How can I trust five guys I don't even trust?"

Lark held up a pinkie. Thrush grinned widely. Bronzewing stood at attention and crossed his heart. Winchester glanced at his team, saw their actions, and turned back to me with a smirk. "See? They're trustworthy."

"They'll be more trustworthy after I slit their throats." Everyone but Winchester and Kanon gulped. "You want Velvet off my team? I was meaning to do it anyways."

"Isaac?" Velvet, still behind me, whispered.

"Be quiet." I took out my scroll, opened Velvet's file, and terminated her. She was no longer on Team MVRK. A replacement would be issued in as short as a week. No tear squeezed out of my eyes, no second thought came to my mind, no eye contact was made with Velvet. All those happened after I had returned from our first date. That had been when I thought deeply about what Velvet had told me.

"Isaac, how could you?" Velvet was about to cry.

"Be quiet Velvet!"

"Well, well, well, you're a cruel man, 'rick." Winchester grinned. "I didn't think you were going to do it. Well, I'm a man of my word."

"Isaac, why?" Velvet whispered.

With a violent jerk I turned around and kneeled. I held Velvet by the shoulders and gave her an annoyed look. Velvet and I shared a hushed conversation:

"You need to learn how to defend yourself."

"But-but-but...you said you would protect me forever." Velvet's tears began flooding her eyes.

"I've killed four people. I burned my house down. Everyone thinks I'm dead. People are starting to notice I'm not, as you can tell." I gestured to the boys behind me. "Either the cops, the White Fang, or the Schnee Dust Company is going to come after me one day. Our time is limited. It always was. This isn't a break-up, Velvet. I'm just putting some distance between us. I don't want you to depend on me. You are going to depend on yourself. You will learn how to be a strong independent woman who don't need no man." I cracked a forced smile for Velvet's sake. "This is so you won't collapse when I'm gone."

"I'm collapsing no-now!" Velvet silently screamed. Her ears drooped down. I hadn't improved her mood at all.

"I need you to go away. Get out of here. These guys aren't here just to say hi. Go to my room and look _inside_ my mattress. Get me what you find, and be quick."

Before I even saw her move, Velvet's mouth was interlocked with mine. It was a lustful kiss, using the lips, tongue, everything. He arms were around my neck. Her closed eyes poured tears onto my face, mixing with my own tears. As quickly as she had kissed me, Velvet disappeared, leaving me alone with Team CRDL-K. In the process of dashing through Team CRDL-K, Velvet pushed Thrush and Lark into the pond. They had been in her way after all.

"I am going to kill that freak!" Thrush yelled as he and Lark pulled themselves back onto the path.

"You get near her and you won't have any arms to kill her with!" I wiped my eyes, stood and turned around, then turned to Winchester. "So, is that all you wanted?"

The group charged. I spun around to pick up Maelstrom but Winchester locked me in a chokehold before then. I kicked, punched, and screamed, but the rest of Winchester's group restrained me. Each person hold down one of my limbs. Struggling was pointless. Kanon shoved a long, wooden whistle into my mouth, aimed his revolver at my head, and screamed:

"Blow, you little shit!"

I blew, long and hard.

Team CRDL-K vanished quickly. They had released me and had ran into the school. Why had they cowered? Should I have gone with them? I crouched down and strapped Maelstrom to my back. Five warriors, strong and stupid, had just ran away from a fight because I had blown a _whistle_. A bloody _whistle_. A bloody whistle that was just lying on the floor now. My thoughts weren't clear. No one besides me had stayed in the gardens. They had all ran. I decided I should have done the same.

I turned to leave, but-

_RRRRRROOOOAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!_


	22. Assassin Part One

**[Chapter 22 – Assassin Part One]**

Lightning struck a spot high in the sky, about a mile away from the pond. A floating, black sphere appeared where the lightning bolt stopped. I needed to see what this sphere was and find out why it had made such a loud roar. For the first time since I arrived at Beacon, I transformed Maelstrom while it was sheathed. Instead of transforming into a short-range assault rifle with iron sights and a flamethrower attachment, like it normally would if it was transformed outside of its scabbard, Maelstrom now morphed into a battle rifle meant for long ranges. The addition of the scabbard gave the weapon a high-powered scope and a longer barrel, increasing accuracy, a stock and a strap, increasing steadiness, and now had the ability to turn into a full-fledged flamethrower. It couldn't fire fully-automatically, but it didn't need to, because pairs of the assault rifle rounds Maelstrom normally fired fused into single, powerful bullets. This form of Maelstrom was worthy of being called a sniper.

The only problem was that if I transformed Maelstrom into a longsword from its battle rifle form, the longsword would be in its scabbard, meaning I would have to unsheathe it before I could slice monsters with it. This wasn't good in situations where I would have only seconds to turn Maelstrom into a usable sword and defend myself. Using the battle rifle form helped in situations where I needed to attack a target from a distance, but I would be defenseless if an enemy came close to me. I wouldn't be able to transform Maelstrom and unsheathe it in time to protect myself. Yet, the assault rifle and longsword form of Maelstrom where for close quarter combat, and flying enemies didn't do close quarter combat.

I used Maelstrom's battle rifle form's powerful scope to study what had appeared in the sky.

It was a mass of black flesh, melting together to make a body. The mass of flesh unraveled into a dark serpent with wide bat wings and a spiked tail. Giant hands on the ends of the monster's wings clenched into fists. It slithered, _slithered_, towards the pond while in the middle of the sky. The monster's bat wings were redundant, just being held up while it _slithered_ in midair. It was like there was an invisible ground under the serpent, allowing the beast to slither as if it were on ground. Then the monster started falling like the invisible object under it disappeared. Instinctively, it flapped its huge wings, its spiked tail dangling. Unfortunately, the dragon was much quicker when it decided to fly instead of hover in midair.

Every second I spent staring was a second of preparation wasted. I made a hard decision; I kept Maelstrom in battle rifle form. If the dragon came close I would have to improvise. Actually, if the dragon came close, I would probably die. All because of a flaw in Maelstrom's stupid design.

_Why the fuck did Uncle make this thing so complicated?_

The dragon was in my scope once again. It was larger than before, obviously, because it was closer. Reading my mind, Maelstrom's scope highlighted the dragon's eyes with yellow crosses. I placed the center of the reticle on the dragon's left eye. The stock on the battle rifle form of Maelstrom allowed me to hold the firearm with more steadiness. My firearm training rose from the depths of my memory like an undead body rising from a grave. My body became still after I held my breath and stood in a stable stance...I fired a burst of three powerful bullets into the dragon's left eye.

_RRRRRROOOOAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!_

The shots landed. My lips curved into a smile. The dragon's flight was disturbed; it grabbed its face in an attempt to end the pain it was suffering, but that only dropped its body to the ground. It crashed in the woods outside Beacon. As quickly as it had fallen, the dragon launched into the air, a motivating sense of vengeance filling its dark mind. It knew _exactly_ where I was. Ironic, as it was now half-blind. It shot towards me, its body straight, its wings collapsed to its side. It was moving too fast to hit. Shooting it was a futility. I decided to conserve the rounds in my magazine and run onto the main avenue; my greatest fear was being pushed into the water, a prominent risk on the thin path to the red tree island Velvet and I had been on. I wouldn't be able to use my weapon with much effect in the water.

The dragon flew over me. I ducked just in time to miss its fist, but the force of the wind pushed me onto my back. The dragon pulled up in time to avoid flying into the columns surrounding the inner pond, and it began the long circular flight back towards me.

I had enough time to turn Maelstrom into a sword, in its scabbard like I worried it would be. After standing up I strapped the scabbard to my back. Running was the only option, but where could I run to? Being out in the open wasn't a smart idea. The columns. The dragon was big, too big to fit through the gaps in the columns. They were safer than the open, because the dragon would need to pull up before reaching me, or fly straight into the columns. Both were a win. Before I could reach my destination the dragon returned and violently shoved me against column with its fist. Crumbs of rock sprinkled off the column I was against. My aura had activated just in time to protect my body from being crushed. I felt winded from the impact. Nearly half my aura had left me. A force field now surrounded my body. I concentrated and did a fancy trick; I made the flat force field protecting me from being flattened into a spiky, thorn-filled shell.

_RRAAAAAAGGHHHAAAARRR!_

The dragon released me, pulled away, and shook its hand. Like spaghetti, its body tangled into a big mess. It dipped into the pond, raising the water level, making the paths and the main avenue wet and submerged. The monster gave me enough time to unsheathe Maelstrom, turn it into an assault rifle, and unload half a magazine of automatic fire onto the dragon's remaining eye. I screamed in triumph as the serpent erected itself, rising from the pond and feeling for his useless eyes. It roared again and charged. It was blind, so it charged right into the columns, catching one of its wings around the column it had shoved me against. Maelstrom grew hungry, and I intended to feed it.

My aura was all gone. _All of it_. I was fighting on pure Human strength now. The only way I could protect myself now was with my weapon.

My rifle morphed into a longsword, split its blade, and poked out the projectile barrel. Maelstrom spat the largest flames I had ever seen it create. I was now holding a fifteen foot blade of fire. With a battle cry and a crumbled face I cut through the dragon's caught wing. The metal of my sword sliced through the closest leathery flesh while the flames melted what I couldn't reach. The wing came clean off; the dragon was now clipped. It cowered backwards, folded its remaining wings flat against itself, and slithered its upper body to the main avenue. It coiled its head and upper body up into a circle and looked around, hissing, its forked tongue sticking out. Its lower body stayed in the pond and on the paths, lifeless. It was blind and grounded. It didn't know what to do with its own body.

After becoming still, the dragon sensed where I was. It turned to me and, like a King Taijitu, sprung straight forward. I sidestepped quickly, leading the monster to ram its head straight into a column. Stone collapsed onto the dragon's head. The monster was incapacitated and defenseless. I grasped the opportunity quickly, climbed onto the monster, ran to its head, and implanted my weapon's blade between its eyes. Maelstrom buried round after round of bullets into the dragon's brain. It also vomited fire, melting away the skin and meat on the serpent's skull. The flames flew everywhere, including my direction. Fire covered my legs, my arms, and my body, but I didn't feel anything. I didn't care. Once the monster's fangs and skull were showing and its ruptured eyes hanging out by bloody threads, I was satisfied.

The serpent's body had snapped the red trees, something I was surprised I hadn't noticed. Its body was now plopped all over. The inner pond was a bowl, and the dragon's long body was messy spaghetti. I felt bad for whoever was in charge of cleaning this up afterwards.

My environment was what saved me. I wouldn't have survived if it weren't for the columns. The dragon would have been digesting me if this fight would have taken place in an open area. It was the columns that trapped the dragon. It was the columns that knocked the dragon out. I was nothing but a torero, a bullfighter dodging a bull. There was no fighting involved. Then again, I had shot the dragon's eyes, had chopped off its wing like a butcher, and had melted its face off. But why had I been protected from the flames? Last time I checked I wasn't fireproof. Maelstrom had always been a difficult weapon to use as there had always been a risk of burning myself. My aura was shattered after I turned my force field into a spiky mess; what had protected me?

Slowly, I made myself to the statue in the middle of the main avenue. I wanted something to sit against. Before I arrived, smoke began to bother my eyes. I rubbed them, but they didn't improve. There was no fire around me. Maelstrom was still in the dragon's skull. I hadn't bothered trying to take it out. What was going on?

"Holy cr-crap, 'rick, you-you're on fire." Winchester informed with a quizzical tone.

My brain didn't process Winchester's comment; my fist did. I turned to him, rushed to Winchester, and punched him across the face. Well, tried to anyways. I wasn't strong enough to be quick, so Winchester had easily blocked the blow, but he had pulled back immediately, grimacing. He shook his hands as if he had touched lava.

_I was on fucking fire!_

The first thing my brain told me to do was flail my arms to extinguish the flames. Then I realized there was no pain. My limbs and torso were surrounded by fire, but I couldn't feel anything. The flames swayed with every movement I made, making me feel like a king, making me feel like a god. I was on fire, it didn't hurt, and I could stay this way forever. This was my semblance. This was my _fucking_ semblance! Like a comic book character, I was able to ignite myself in flames. I was powerful and invincible. A grin grew on my face. I found myself staring at my arms with pride.

Then Winchester had to be a buzzkill by kicking me into the pond.


	23. Assassin Part Two

**[Chapter 23 – Assassin Part Two]**

The water was cold, cold enough to numb my joints and send my teeth into a frenzy of clatter. As my body began swimming automatically I shivered, all my skin now exposed to the frigid pond. Hope came to me when I felt the warmth of sunlight prevent me from freezing solid. Despite how much I wanted to escape to the main avenue, I stayed put; I hadn't dressed in fireproof clothing in the morning, so my clothes had been disintegrated by the flames, most likely. Was I naked? Being naked would mean I was trapped. I wanted to look down and see whether I was or wasn't, but I didn't want to bury my face in the hurtful water.

Winchester dashed to the edge of the main avenue and stared. He nearly fell into the water because of how quickly he ran. Ironic, as he could have simply walked the few feet between him and the edge. As much as I wanted to believe the worried expression on Winchester's face was a lie, I couldn't help but think he actually cared about me.

"'Rick?" Winchester shielded his eyes from the sunlight to get a better look. "You alright, buddy?"

If I still had energy, I would have pulled Winchester into the water and punched him, beat him, possibly even drowned him, but I was too tired to fight and argue now.

"Am I naked?" I asked.

"Uh...no, no you're not. You're shirtless but besides that you're fine, 'rick."

"Good! I'm getting out!" I swam onto the main avenue and shivered violently. I curled into a ball on the floor and allowed my body to absorb the pleasant sunlight. The main avenue was wet, flooded slightly, so I was still burning with cold. Shutting off my eyes, I communicated with Winchester with only my ears and mouth. "That water is freezing!"

"You're...not mad at me or something?"

"Winchester, I'm _done_. What' the point of arguing with someone as stu...nevermind."

"This water is anything but cold. You can't be freezing, 'rick. It isn't possible."

"Go away."

"You sure you ain't mad at me?"

"I've been arguing since I came here. Arguing is getting old. I'm going to try something new; talking."

"Need a blanket or anything?"

"Go away, please."

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you, 'rick. 'Rick, I stayed because I didn't want you to die. If that thing started winning I'd come out and-"

"-get yourself killed along with me? Very smart."

"It wasn't meant to go down like that. It was supposed to disappear. That's what your guy said."

"I guess I killed it before it had a chance to. It's funny how _you_ don't feel guilt when you're calling a monster on a guy, but feel it when he survives. How does that work?"

"You ask a lot of questions that you don't want answered, 'rick." Winchester's perception of rhetorical questions humored me. "I'm not used to talking to you for so long without hearing a curse word."

"Fuck you. Fuck your mother. Fuck your father. Fuck your sister. Better?" I chuckled. "You only stayed because you didn't want a murder on your hands."

"I'm wasn't ready to let you get me expelled. If you weren't strong enough to survive that thing I would have gotten the blame for your weakness."

"Me? You're saying its my fault for losing an unfair fight against a legendary dragon?"

"There you go with those questions again, 'rick!" Winchester paused. "I need to be feared, 'rick. Need to be. I'm not letting anyone push me around."

Winchester believed sending his nemesis to the hospital would have made him feared. A type of fear that could have evolved into submission. Winchester could have gotten his wishes fulfilled by those who submitted to him. He wanted to be King, not for the sake of being King, but because he didn't want to answer to one. Despite his cruel intentions, Winchester still couldn't have allowed me to die. He had stayed to help me fight the dragon if it had began to win the fight. Much help he could have done. Cowards are the first to die.

But Winchester wasn't a monster. His intentions hadn't been to kill me. He had even stayed to make sure I was alright in the end. As much as it made sense to hate him, my mind just couldn't produce hate.

With loud chatter and a slothful speed, a crowd of students escaped Beacon and flooded onto the main avenue. Since the dragon's carcass rose the water level, the horde of students got their feet wet. Most students marveled at the dead serpent from a distance while talking with their mates, some students poked it. The crowd filled the main avenue and thin paths, the serpent's body preventing their expansion to the rest of the pond; the main avenue was blocked off at one point by the dragon so no one could escape to the landing pads. A circle of space formed around Winchester and me. By the time the crowd reached its greatest potential size, I had stood up. A path cleared in the suddenly silent crowd. It looked and sounded like an ocean being split, the hefty noise of thousands of splashing footsteps introducing complete silence and a route for Ozpin and Goodwitch.

The crowd slowly restitched itself as they passed.

Winchester nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the headmaster approaching. I was afraid I would have to grab him before he ran away.

"What is the meaning of this?" The critical witch spat. She wasn't amused by the interesting sight of the dragon's carcass. She gave it no attention, keeping her eyes fixed on Winchester. Ozpin stood beside her, surprisingly without any tea or coffee in his hands, a dedicated expression of indifference on his face.

"Well, you see," Winchester began, "'Rick-Maverick-Isaac took his shirt off and then this happened." Winchester gestured to the melted head of the dragon.

"Amusing." Goodwitch returned my eye contact. "You hurt anywhere, boy?"

"Yes. In my head." I answered.

"Too bad."

A small, beautiful girl escaped the crowd and sprinted into my surprised arms. The backpack she had been carrying slapped my back as she embraced me. The tear she had made in the crowd healed. "Isaac, I'm so glad you're okay." Velvet cried on my shoulder. The water on my body dampened her school dress.

Goodwitch rolled her eyes, fixed her glasses, and straightened her posture. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, waiting for the scene to finish. The crowded silently buzzed. Both versions of the interjection 'aw' was popular among the girls in the crowd, while the word 'freaks' was popular with the guys.

Despite the adorable sight in front of her, Goodwitch remained calm and professional. "Mr. Maverick, you owe me an explanation. As well as you, Mr. Winchester. I haven't forgotten about you."

"Hey, Isaac's the one who killed the stupid thing." Winchester stepped forward. "I was just the first guy to come out."

"Lying again, Mr. Winchester?"

"Leave Cardin alone." I spat. "He's telling the truth. He wasn't involved." I could feel Velvet's angry glare burn my face. I enjoyed the warmth, as I was still freezing from the water.

"One, if not both of you, is lying."

Velvet was making me warmer. It was awkward to keep her held while standing up, and people noticed. They tried not to stare at me and Velvet for too long. At the front of the crowd, Cardin's team stood beside Kanon, who stood beside Rachel, who stood beside Weiss, who stood beside the remainder of Team RWBY. Rachel wasn't holding hands with Kanon. It was unusual. An important and frightening event had just taken place; normal girls would have held their boyfriends close in the situation.

"Isaac, are you alright?" Ozpin asked. His soft, soothing voice even calmed the frighteningly angry Goodwitch down.

"Yes headmaster." I replied.

"What about you, Cardin?"

"Worry about the shirtless guy wearing torn pants and holding a bunny girl next to me." Cardin responded.

Velvet ended the hug. She stood with half her body hidden behind me, a palm pressed against my back, the other holding my hand and her backpack at the same time. I assumed she had placed the items I had ordered her to fetch in the pack.

"What about you, young lady?" Ozpin gently asked Velvet. "Are you alright?" Ozpin only received a nod in response.

Goodwitch's eyes widened as she looked behind me. She looked like she had just noticed the dragon, although she had plenty of opportunities to see it already. "Ozpin, is that an Ansatsu-sha? This boy has just defeated an Ansatsu-sha. Oh my."

"Good." Ozpin joked. "Give him extra credit."

"This is no time for humor, Professor. It has been a thousand years since that last Ansatsu-sha has been summoned."

"And it is the first time in a thousand years one has been _defeated_." Ozpin narrowed his eyes on me. "Who was it?"

I remained silent. My message was clear; _too many eavesdroppers_.

Ozpin walked to me and pointed a finger away from the crowd, ordering me to turn around. Both our backs were now turned to the crowd. The melted head of the dragon sank into the pond in front of us.

"Tell me who it was." Ozpin started a hushed conversation. "He'll face punishment in secret. You won't make enemies."

"I tell you, I make enemies. I don't tell you, then you and Goodwitch become my enemy."

"Whoever did this to you is already your enemy."

"They are still schoolmates."

"So its more than one person, then?"

"I never said that."

Ozpin sighed. "Who's more important to you, your headmaster or your schoolmates?"

"Schoolmates, considering I'll be working with them to protect people for the rest of my life."

Ozpin paused. "Noble." After a swift spin, Ozpin addressed the crowd. "A catastrophe has occurred on this very cliff today, a catastrophe that could have ended in death. Your fellow schoolmate Isaac has just defeated a _very_ nasty creature. He claims responsibility for summoning it. His punishment will be severe, unless those who are truly responsible step forward and share the blame. You can either be punished honorably now, or be expelled later." Cardin gulped down a ball of spit. Goodwitch noticed him and narrowed her eyes. Her suspicions had been confirmed. Goodwitch leaned towards Ozpin's ear and whispered. He turned back to me. "Isaac, are you sure about your decision?"

"I will never tell."

Ozpin stared. Once he was finished analyzing my serious face, he turned to Cardin. "Have your team meet me in my office. We have much to discuss."

The crowd exploded into whispers and gossips. Cardin walked over, reluctantly, to his team and told them the bad news, although they already knew. The entrance of Beacon began swallowing the crowd.

"Mr. Maverick, report to the infirmary immediately." Goodwitch ordered.

I did as she said, putting my arm over Velvet and walking with the crowd. After Velvet and I finally entered an empty hallway and were able to talk privately, she asked me why I had sent her to fetch my police pistol, combat knife, and stun gun.

"Because I was going to electrocute Winchester and his team, maybe even Kanon."

"Why-why didn't you?"

"One, there was water at everyone's feet, including yours."

"Right, right."

"Two, I don't have enough energy to fight or argue anymore."

"Hm-hmm."

"And three, Cardin isn't as bad as he makes himself look. He's just scared. Scared that he'll drop to the bottom of the social chain. He bullies not to control people, but because he doesn't want to be controlled. He's doing everything he can to not end up like you."

"Excuse me?" Velvet scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're afraid of everything, Velvet. Anyone can make you do anything just by threatening you. That's how Cardin got you to stay silent about him. When's the last time you stood up to a bully without my help? Huh? Even with me around, you're afraid to ask me to protect you."

"I'm not afraid of anyone!" Velvet pushed me away. "Keep walking, Isaac. Take your stupid guns with you." Velvet threw her backpack to my feet. "I'm going to find Rachel."

* * *

**I would appreciate it if some you, maybe the more dedicated of MVRK fans, could send me personality profiles for the four main characters in a PM. I would do it myself, but homework is hitting me like a wrecking ball. I want to make sure I'm not changing the characters' personalities too much (because I don't have enough time to reread my story) after this long hiatus, and I would like to know how a few of you see my characters. A lot of you thought Kanon was a complete asshole in the beginning, but then you discovered he was an asshole only because he thought Isaac was a Faunus. Now he's an asshole because he feels lied to, just so you know. Anyways, bye bye bye. **


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